I Want To Be A Turk!
by aichioluv
Summary: When the Turks found Meia in the Sector 4 slums, they definitely got more than what they bargained for. UPDATE: As the last bits of Zirconiade disintegrate, the Turks face the consequence of fighting for their lives, their friends and their freedom. Watch how they handle their quest for freedom as the story comes to an end... for now.
1. I Want To Be A Turk!

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Hi everyone! This is my first FFVII fic, goodness how long it has been since I touched FFVII? I played it in 2005, watched AC in 2007 (But remember nuts about it), I'm replaying CC right now… I first thought of the story weeks ago but didn't dare explore it because I'm still working on another story. That being said… **I'll make this clear:** this story is updated on a no-commitment basis. I upload them when I have the inspiration. I'm still committed to some of my other works. So please story alert at your own risk (Hopefully you like my story enough to alert it 0.o)

It's going to be a slow story-plot, since the OC is pretty young… not too sure what I want to do, but I do have a general plot going, so don't give up on me! . Also, don't hate me for the lame title, I can't find a better title for it!

If you're fed up with my story, you can always pop over to other RenoXOC stories like "Storm" by Samantha Sheffield and "Sticks, Stones and Broken Bones" by ancientbruises. (hehe) We all have similar stories, but theirs are a good read. (not commissioned to advertise for them!)

This story is inspired by "From Slum to Soldier" by UnchainedMelody94. Although my story is different from hers, I feel that I should credit her nevertheless.

Enjoy!

**This first chapter is dedicated to Samantha Sheffield, who encouraged me to "WRITE IT!"**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – I Want To Be A Turk!<strong>

1999 (A/N: according to FFVII, and not the actual year in our universe)

Sector 4 was never much of a sector to be proud of. Sector 5 has a church with rare flowers growing, there is a playground in Sector 6 and even a mini market in Sector 7 that can rival the Wall Market. Sector 4 has nothing. Like the other sectors in Midgar, Sector 4 was an endless land of debris, dust and gloomy people.

It was raining over Sector 4 that day. In a distance ahead, there were three people standing in the midst of the mess, two men and a woman. The trio wore dark blue uniforms and matching pants, their weapons equipped. They appeared to be in deep conversation and did not seem to be bothered by the rain.

The woman was tall and slender, the dark blue uniform did not do well to hide her beauty and her solemn expression. She had long brown hair, a brown so light that it looked grey under the dull of the rain. Her long fringe framed her face and is now sticking onto her cheeks. She was unarmed, save the two leather gloves on her hands.

The two men were a contrast of each other. The taller man was tanned. He was bald and like the woman, was armed only with gloves. He wore dark sunglasses, preventing people from seeing his eyes. He listened to the conversation, but mostly kept quiet, folding his arms in silence.

The striking feature about the last person was his flaming red hair. It was unkempt and untidy, but short at the back. He pushed his goggles to his forehead, showing two red tattoo stripes on his cheek. His uniform was messy and sloppy. He stood his weight on his left leg, yawning and tapping a metal rod against his back as if it could massage his aching back.

Despite their casual manners, the citizens of Sector 4 cowered as soon as they saw their navy blue uniforms and weapons, for they were the infamous Turks working for Shinra, the people who are capable for doing the dirty work for the electric company. Rumors have it that they would stop at nothing to complete their mission, even if they need to kill. It was common sense to avoid them if they ever appeared. Like how the people below the Plate always say, "Better to be mauled by a Kalm Fang than to be hunted by a Turk".

The woman stared at the redhead, her face serious. "Reno, I'm trying to give a detailed analysis of what is going to happen. We only have 20 minutes left before we leave, stop fidgeting."

Reno gave another yawn. "This is a boring mission." He complained. "I know it's your first time to be in-command, Leia, but loosen up!" He grinned. "It's just coming here to take a look at how Sector 4 has been doing, yo?"

Leia rolled her eyes. "How do you even put up with him, Rude?"

The tanned Turk made no expression. "I get by." Was his simply reply.

"Hey!" Reno frowned at Rude. "And I thought we're supposed to be all buddy-buddy, now that we're going to be partners?"

Rude turned in his direction. It was hard to tell what expression he was carrying. "I didn't recall that I need to be buddy with you."

Reno made a face. "Aww man, give me a break! I know I've only joined the Turks a year ago, but cut me some slack!"

"Whatever it is, 15 minutes is left because of random bickering." Leia sighed in frustration. She didn't like wasting time and always believed in efficiency. "Be on standby."

"Will do, will do." Answered the redhead lazily.

While waiting for their leader to give the order to return, Reno started walking around the area to explore. Leia shook her head in disbelief. No one will ever realize that Reno is more senior in the Turks than she is. Rude had been in the Turks longer than Reno and recently being paired up with the almost-too-carefree Reno, Leia wondered if Rude held any dislike towards his new partner.

"Yo guys, check this out." The redhead called over his comrades.

"What are you up to again, Reno?" Leia groaned in frustration. As they approached the pile of debris Reno was squatting by, they saw a small frail girl lying at the sidewalk (Well, literally the side of where the citizens walk in Sector 4).

"Is she dead?" Asked Rude in a deadpan.

Reno nudged her head with his foot gently.

"Reno!" Leia exclaimed, shocked that he would mishandle humans so.

"Relax yo," Reno said with a drawl. "She's dead, I don't see her moving." He stood up. "If there was a cause of death, I'm guessing malnutrition. You gotta admit, living conditions here suck." He shuddered a little.

Rude cleared his throat, and Reno apologized. After all, being a Turk meant that emotional attachments should best be removed to ensure efficiency and confidence of the job done.

Leia nodded. "Anyway, let's go."

As they turned, Reno suddenly felt a tug at the hem of his trousers. "WHAT THE HECK!" He cursed, jumping back to see what it was. As Leia turned, she was shocked to see the girl alive, her hand stretched out, quivering.

Her voice was soft, but clear. "Take me with you."

Reno walked back and squatted down. "Hey kiddo, we're not some orphanage or charitable organization. We're the Turks, and you should stay out of our way." He explained, almost gently to the girl.

He stood up but before he could walk off, her hand was tugging at his trousers again. "Oh COME ON!" He almost shouted in frustration. "Let… go!" He struggled to gain his balance while shaking off the girl, who surprisingly had a strong grip of his pants.

"Then… then I want to be a Turk!"

"Huh?" Reno stopped his attempts and stared blankly at her.

Rude furrowed his brows. "Girl, don't play pranks with us."

She released the hem of Reno's trousers. She propped herself up and glared at Rude. Leia secretly saluted her for her pure resilience, she'll never forget that look on the girl's face as she stared at Rude. The glare was full of determination, as if she was challenging Rude to take her life if he were to refuse.

"I'm not going to spend my life here, when I have no one left." She said again, softly. "If becoming a Turk means I can live a proper life… then I'll work for Shinra." Her gaze was steady.

Rude made a noise of annoyance. "The girl's serious."

Reno knelt down and stared at the girl. She was thin, no doubt. Her big eyes were hazel brown, her black shoulder-length hair was straight and wet with rain, who knew how long she has been lying out in the open? But Reno couldn't help but notice how… how smooth her fair skin was. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he saw such flawless complexion. Pulling himself back to focus, he asked. "What is your name?"

Her gaze at Rude immediately shifted to Reno. "Meia." She answered simply.

"How old are you?"

"12."

_Whoa, that's young. _Reno thought at the back of his head. He was accepted into the Turks last year at 16, and he thought he was young already. Even so, the Turks have accepted younger candidates before…

Reno stood up. "We'll take her back."

"No." Rude insisted.

Reno frowned. "Rude, come on! She's just a little kid!"

"You continue your generousity and Shinra will be overrun by children."

"But I want to bring her along!" Rude frowned at Reno and shook his head. Reno desperately tried to negotiate. "Err… I'll let you have all the meat in my meals for a month?" But the look on Rude's face was final.

Leia glanced at her cell phone. "Boss told us to retreat. Let's go."

Reno sighed. He patted the girl's head. "We wish to bring you back, but we can't. Please let go." He added with a slight pleading tone.

"No!" Shouted Meia as she clung onto Reno's leg. "I'm not letting go till you let me become a Turk!"

"Hey listen kiddo," Reno retorted, clearly annoyed. "If you don't let go I'm gonna have to drag you all the way to Shinra!" He stopped himself, once he realized that that was exactly what she wanted. "Smart kid." He grunted to her.

"You're an idiot, that's all." Rude replied.

Reno wanted to make another comeback but Leia interrupted him. "Look, we don't have much time." She frowned as she thought to herself. _If I were given full authority, what would I do?_

Reno placed his palms together in a pleading manner. "Please guys? Let's just bring her back. If she proves not to be good enough to be a Turk, we'll send her back… or something." He mumbled the last two words, but the other two Turks knew that Reno was referring to silencing Meia in case she discovers Shinra's information. He smiled at Meia, who was still clutching onto his leg for dear life. He was not going to let her know these dark things yet. She was much too young.

Leia's head shot up from her thoughts. "But… what do we tell boss?" She asked, her voice afraid of the endless possibilities.

"I'll handle him." Reno replied with a wink.

"WE'LL handle him." Confirmed Rude at last.

"YEAH! I LOVE YOU MAN!" Reno rejoiced, patting the silent man on the back. "I knew you have a soft spot somewhere!"

"Only because you're giving me the meat for one month."

Reno's face fell as he remembered his flippant promise. "Alright…" He held the girl up under her arms and tried to steady her. At full height, she was half a head shorter than his shoulder's height. "Little Meia, you better be a good Turk, if not I'm going to lose a month's of meat for nothing!" He then murmured, looking at her height. "But first you gotta eat more so that you can grow taller." He took out his jacket and draped it around the small figure, shielding her from the chill from the rain.

Meia's face broke into an unexpectedly sweet smile. "Thank you nice brothers and beautiful sister!" She beamed.

"2 minutes." Leia's voice was monotonous, but Reno could tell she was anxious about reporting back on time, and flustered at the sincere compliment paid.

"Let's go!" He took Meia by the hand, and patting Leia on her back, complimenting her on a good job done as the mission commander.

The group swiftly left Sector 4, and it would be a while later that any one of them would return.

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><p>Haha, what an awkward ending to this chapter :P but I wanted to get this chapter out of the way. Anyway the two name Meia and Leia are a coincidence. I intend to keep it that way too.<p>

Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to SquareEnix. The only things that are mine are Meia and the name Leia, given to the Turk [Martial Arts (Female)] in Before Crisis.

Yes! My story is set in Before Crisis and Crisis Core. These two storylines will run concurrently, so I get to play with all the playable Turks in Before Crisis =P don't worry to those who've never played Before Crisis (I never played it before!), I'll try to write the story so that you won't be lost because of the necessary information given in Before Crisis.

Please read and review!


	2. Getting Laid

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Today, I discovered exactly how slow would the story plot go. VERY slow. We're currently in Year 1999 right? I realized that I'm only going to kick romantic escalations during the events of FF7! Well… not many readers can stomach that tension for so long. I hope that you can continue to support me nevertheless.

Feel free to google all the playable characters in Before Crisis! They'll be part of the main cast in this story, having a face to pin onto would be lovely!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Getting Laid<strong>

Meia had a dream. She dreamt that she was home. Father was out in the backyard, the smell of sizzling hot dogs wafted into the living room. Mother was out hanging the clothes. Sector 4 was paved with grass and flowers, and there was the sky…

She opened her eyes with a jerk and a tinge of realization. _It is only a dream._ She thought to herself, sitting up to take a deep breath. _Anyone living beneath the plate would tell you that you can't see the sky here, nor the grass and flowers... _She shuddered as she made herself say it. "Nor father and mother…"

She glanced around the room that she was in. Judging by the darkness of the room, it was probably still nightfall. Apart from the semi-double bed she was lying on, the room had one more closet and a short cabinet with round handles. The room was spick and span and barely showed anything personal. She rubbed her arms, self-conscious that she was in a foreign area of Midgar, the Shinra Building. She could barely believe herself when she lost all dignity in her to throw herself at some random guy's feet asking to be a Turk.

The door of the room suddenly opened, and she tensed in defence.

"Don't worry, little one," came the voice of someone familiar. "It's just me." Meia saw the silhouette of the figure who talked, her hair swishing as she turned around. "I'm going to switch on the lights okay?"

The lights came on, temporarily blinding her. Meia squinted, but as her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the beautiful woman whom she has met earlier today sit down beside her on the bed. "You sure knocked out quick." She observed.

Meia flushed. After they managed to sneak her into the Shinra building, they brought some food to her, which she devoured all too quickly. Then, she fell asleep on the bed, without asking if she could. Meia was simply too hungry, too tired for formalities. _Seems that this is her room._ She noted.

"Are you still hungry?" The woman asked.

"No Ma'am." She replied shyly.

"I'm Leia." She extended her hand, in an almost business-like manner.

Meia blinked at the extended hand, and gingerly stretched her skinny hand out to shake it. "Meia." She said, not as if Leia didn't know.

"How do you spell that? M-i-a?"

"No," She shook her head, getting go of the handshake. "M-e-i-a."

Leia looked surprised. "Oh? My name is spelled L-e-i-a."

The little girl frowned. "Why didn't you call yourself 'Lee-uh'?"

"Why didn't you call yourself 'May-uh'?" Leia couldn't help but tease her.

Meia made a face. "I don't want to be a mayor."

Finally getting the problem, Leia tossed her head back and laughed. "If that's the case, I'm a 'layer' then." Meia laughed together with her, but Leia stopped herself and pondered in amazement. Here she was, stone-faced Leia, barely knowing this little girl and now she's able to laugh with her?

"What's wrong?" Meia asked, apprehensive.

Jerking back to her senses, Leia assured the younger girl that nothing was wrong. "It's just that… I'm usually not this relaxed, you know." Leia answered with an embarrassed air. Being a former mercenary, she did as she was told. There wasn't much interaction between herself and other mercenaries… she haven't laughed with someone else for a long time.

"Don't they have other girls in the Turks?" Meia asked when she tried to explain it to her.

"Plenty, but we mostly do missions and hardly see each other." Leia smiled warmly at Meia. "I'm sure if you join in as a Turk, you'll give us ample reason to get together." She gingerly touched the girl's soft hair. "Especially Cissnei, she's motherly to an extent of bossiness."

Meia didn't know who Cissnei was, but she didn't ask. "Where are the other two nice brothers?"

"You mean Reno and Rude? They're in the pantry, wanna go see them?"

She nodded. Leia took her by the hand and they walked out of the room.

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><p>Reno and Rude leaned against the kitchen counter of the Turks' pantry room, their attention is focused on the short-haired blonde in front of them.<p>

"… And you think you can waltz into Veld's office tomorrow morning and go 'Oh hey! Look what we found on our way back?'" The blonde ranted, her blonde hair was cut short, just below the ears. She was also dressed in uniform and now, her blue eyes looked lethal as she made comprehension to the 'mischief' they've made.

"Nice touch of sarcasm you've got there, Alana. It just makes the speech more angr… Okay, I'm just joking." Reno quickly redeemed himself as soon as he saw the gun user reach for the holster. "You need to loosen up too!"

"And you need to shut up," drawled a man by the corner. His long hair was slicked to the back, allowing one lock of fringe falling in front of his face. He wore glasses and there was a jagged scar running from his left cheekbone to his jawline, proudly displaying to the world the life he had before he joined the Turks. He sat comfortably, legs propped up, his prized katana lay quietly on the table. "Or you'll make our pretty Alana here all angry and you always know that's not a pretty sight."

Alana narrowed her eyes at him. "1st chance." He gave a grin back at her and did not respond further.

Reno looked at Rude for backup, but his partner stood silently. He glanced back at Alana. "Come on Alana, she was so pathetic lying there by the sidewalk. What can I do? Leave her there?"

"You seemed pretty fine with 'leaving other children there' in previous missions." She answered bluntly.

"Oooh… Reno's got a soft spot for a little girl?" The man at the table clicked his tongue at him. "Didn't know you had that kind of fetish."

Alana glared at him. "2nd chance."

"What fet- Oh for goodness sake!" Reno lifted his hands in frustration. "I bring a little girl back and I'm a pedophile?"

"Hello all." Leia's voice greeted them formally as she entered the pantry with a younger girl beside her. She looked skinny but at least her face looked less pale than it was a few hours earlier.

"That's the girl?" Mr. Glasses lifted his legs off the table and bent forward to get a closer look. "Man, this girl is going to be a _beauty_ when she grows up." He peered at Reno over his glasses. "No wonder Reno's all worked up."

"Hey!" Reno got up from his position.

"Last chance, Haato." Alana simply stated, frowning at him. "You just want to use up all the chances, don't you?"

Haato paid no attention to her. "You see, little beauty?" Meia looked at him. "That's Alana. She's pretty, but when she gets fierce it's really scary. That's why she's not getting lai-."

"HAATO!"

"Whoa whoa whoa," said Reno as he rushed over to cover Meia's ears. "Don't want her to hear that yo!"

"Gotta go, bye guys!" Haato disappeared in a flash.

Alana groaned, her face red. "I'll kill him during training tomorrow."

"Get in the queue." Mumbled Reno. "You didn't hear what that madman say, did ya?" He asked the girl.

Meia looked at Reno. "Brother, what's 'getting laid'?" She frowned.

The room sat in stony silence as the four Turks furiously thought of a solution.

Alana, whose face was still red, looked at Reno. "You take this." Rude nodded in agreement.

"Geez guys! I'm only 17!" Reno exclaimed. "Shouldn't you three be more… experienced to explain?"

"You seem to get your way around." Leia added, a tint of amusement colouring her words.

Reno turned to her in despair. "Even you, Leia?"

"You found her, you educate her." Leia deadpanned. Rude snorted in amusement.

Reno turned back to Meia, his face blushing. "Little Meia, that is a very bad thing to say. Don't ever listen to what Haato is saying, and promise me you'll never say it again till you're… 16?" He held out a pinky. "Pinky promise?"

Meia smiled as she hooked it around his finger. "I'm not THAT young to play pinky promises you know." She joked. "But I'll keep my side of the promise… if you can get me into being a Turk."

"About that…" Alana's voice turned serious. "I suggest you quit it."

"Why?" Meia argued. "I'm determined to be a Turk!"

Alana bent a little lower to look at the girl in the eye. "Tell me, what do you have that'll make me want to recruit you as a Turk?"

"Alana…"

"Reno, shut it."

Meia bit her lip as she tried to reply. "… I… I don't know."

Alana scoffed. "See? Look here," she frowned. "This is not some playgroup, it is not some game that you can call it quits after being bored. I know you are tired of living beneath the plate, but coming here to be a Turk is NOT the way to find a new home. The Turks isn't your home."

"Alana!" Reno exclaimed.

Meia stiffened. "I'll… I'll think of a reason why I must stay in the Turks." She said softly and ran off.

"Meia!" Leia called out after her. "Reno!" She called again as the redheaded Turk ran out after her.

Alana huffed. "The Turks are a group of elite fighters who needs to remove their emotions when they work. I'm not wrong in saying that it's not her home."

Rude sighed as he pushed his glasses up. "Alana, you spent most of your time in the office, but at least you have a house to crash in once work is done. You don't get along well with your younger sister, but at least you have a family member to worry and scold." Rude looked at the empty doorway. "That girl doesn't have anyone, and judging by her appearance, anything at all."

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><p>He found her at the corner of the long hallway, right next to the emergency exit. Reno inwardly was glad that Shinra Security had the sense to have emergency exits locked unless there really was an emergency. <em>Who knew where this brat could go… If she was found, she'll be disposed of before Rude and I can get a chance to keep her.<em>

She was curled up, her knees tucked under her small head. She wasn't crying, much to Reno's surprise. He would've thought that she would be crying because of the harsh words that Alana said. Still, her face was clouded with sadness.

Reno walked towards the little figure and sat down next to her. Now that her hair was dry, he noticed that the ends of the hair curled up slightly, as if it had a mind of its own. Despite the lack of a proper shower (she only washed her face, arms and legs), her hair looked glossy in the bright lights of the Shinra Building. He glanced at her staring at the floor, as if looking for something. But he realized that she wasn't just staring into thin air, the look in her eyes showed hints of the many things running through her head.

He will soon come to realize that this mysterious girl loses herself in her thoughts so often, it is scary.

"Hey…" He started awkwardly, not knowing if her intense gaze at the floor prevented her from even realizing someone was next to her. She made no reply, but the slight change in her breathing told the Turk that she was aware that he was talking to her. "Hey, don't be upset by Alana. She's one mean prick, but she's a really cool girl to hang out with. She is loyal to the Turks and will give it her all for our sake, even if it means sacrificing herself."

Meia made no reply. Her mind was furiously reeling away, he could almost hear it in her mind.

"Well, I know we Turks ought to be more vigilant and defensive around strangers…" She stiffened at his words, a clear sign that she has been listening to him. "But… I simply can't around you." Reno said softly. "Your presence bites at my conscience." He sighed. "… I don't even know if you understand the meaning of 'conscience'." He mocked himself for talking on and on like an idiot. "Anyway, now that I've got you here in the building, I don't intend to make you fail at becoming a Turk." He fist pumped. "I'll help you become an outstanding Turk, so that you become better than Alana, even me!" He gave a cocky grin, his eyes always glancing sideways to observe her reaction.

Meia's head suddenly snapped up, her mouth curving up into a smile. "I know!" She beamed.

The redhead looked annoyed. "Did you even hear what I said?"

She nodded, her black hair swishing with her movements. "Yeah I did, but I still found a reason to why I want to be a Turk!"

Reno looked happy. "You did?" She nodded. "Then shall we head back to the pantry to tell Auntie Alana?"

Meia narrowed her eyes at him. "She's just a little older than you, isn't she?" Reno waved it off mockingly. As they stood up from the cold floor, she mumbled. "Thank you Brother."

"It's Reno," He smirked. "And what are you thanking me for?"

"For checking if I was alright." His smirk slightly softened, as he held out his hand to her to hold. "… I'm 12 years old, Brother Reno, not 5. I don't need you to hold my hand." She gave a cheeky smile, but held her hand out nevertheless to place it in his.

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><p>Alana glared at the little girl's excited face, her brain not believing what her ears heard. "Your idol?" She gawked.<p>

Nodding her head enthusiastically, Meia said, "I've been a big fan of Vincent Valentine!" She explained, her hazel eyes were shining. "He is simply the coolest Turk since the 70s!"

"Hey!" Reno exclaimed, his ego definitely bruised. "I'm the coolest Turk now!"

Meia giggled. "But Vincent Valentine is still cooler! I want to be just like him!" Rude patted the back of his partner, seemingly advising him not to argue with a kid.

Alana frowned at Meia. Her face was genuine and sincere, but she had an inkling that was not the real reason that motivated her to (in her own words actually) scream and kick till Reno, Rude and Leia brought her back. She gave a look of pure disbelief. "You don't need to take so much time to think about a reason like that. There's a deeper reason."

Meia smiled knowingly. "Mr. Vincent Valentine IS one of the reasons why I admire the Turks and I have constantly dreamed of walking in his footsteps one day. But you're right, Sister Alana." Alana's face changed into one of surprise, when Meia willingly admitted that she did not give her the true reason. "I do have other reasons for wanting to join the Turks, but they are simply too silly to confess. I've picked the best one for you."

"Are you mocking me, little one?" Alana shot back, her face was stern.

"No I'm not. But all of us have a backstory in our lives that gets us to where we are now, that motivates us to want to serve for Shinra." Meia's gaze met with Alana's confidently. "But I don't intend to join the Turks because of some soppy back-story of mine, I want to join the Turks by my ability."

The blonde looked visibly shakened by the words of the young girl. Drawing herself to full height, she mumbled. "I'll see what Veld has to say about this tomorrow morning." She nodded in greeting as she left the pantry.

Reno gave out the breath that he has been holding with a low whistle. "Never thought you're so feisty, Little Meia!" The girl turned to Leia and asked if Alana would be angry with her retort.

"Nah, she'll be fine." Leia replied, but her tone brought a tone of amusement. "She joined the Turks too because of her pure ability, and not some back-story like us alley cats here." Reno grinned at her while Rude snorted, agreeing. "She knows what you mean."

"So, what are your abilities, Meia?" Rude asked, curt and straightforward.

Meia flushed. Another obstacle laid ahead. "I… I'm not exactly trained in combat."

Leia groaned in frustration. "And you walked into the office wanting to be a Turk?" She asked sharply. "What were you thinking?" Meia flinched.

Reno pulled her black hair playfully. "Are you good at anything?"

Meia's face brightened slightly. "I'm really good at remembering things!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! Like the alphabet, the maps of Sector 4…"

"Kid," Rude cut her short. "Anyone can do that with a bit of effort."

"But-"

"Okay Rude, you're scaring her off now! Geez!" Reno stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Little Meia, we'll handle it and we'll see what our leader Veld, has to say about that okay?"

"What are you talking about?" Leia said, her business-like voice full blown. "As if we have the keycard to Veld's floor!"

The redhead hesitated, realising what she said was right. He frowned. "I guess I'll confess it all to Tseng then." He looked at the confused Meia. "Tseng is our sub-leader, if there's such a thing. He's the one in direct contact with Veld with reports and all. He's a little stern looking but," He gave Meia a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, when you've got me, you've got nothing to worry about!"

Leia and Rude snorted. "That's what we are worried about." They mocked in unison.

As they continued arguing and discussing other issues, including the different weapons suitable for her, Meia gave a small sigh of relief. It was true that she adored Vincent Valentine for his dedication, it was true that she wanted to be a Turk so that she could run away from the hellish life that Sector 4 brought her. But she'll never admit unnecessarily to anyone, that the trigger that started it all sparked when the foot of someone nudged her semi-conscious body in Sector 4 eight hours ago.

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><p>Hahaha! I love misleading titles! XDDD The titles are going to be things that Meia says that kinda either makes her grow up or makes me outstanding in that chapter. As far as possible it'll be something that Meia says, but sometimes it'll be something that generally sums up the story, and will be mentioned in the chapter.<p>

Thank you Samantha Sheffield for giving me a shout out in her recent chapter! I'll work hard at my chapters (when I can commit to it =P)


	3. I Know

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 3 – I know.**

"Reno, Rude." Called Tseng as he approached the two Turks at their desks. "Veld is looking for you. Report to the conference room at Level 66."

Reno's eyes widened. He turned to Alana, who was walking towards the elevator. "Alana! Why did you spill to Veld?"

Alana frowned, her oval face clearly annoyed by his accusations. "I said nothing to Veld."

"Veld wants to see you on his own accord. It's not regarding any… mischief that you've made." He peered at Reno and Rude.

Reno made a small 'o' on his face. "Sorry about that, Alana."

Alana rolled her eyes. "If you need me, moron, I'll be at Training Room 49, beating the crap out of Haato for yesterday. SOLDIERS are all on field training today, which gives us access." She elegantly entered to the lift and nodded at Tseng before the doors closed.

Tseng scratched his hair, tied to the back with a short ponytail. "What is it this time?" He sighed.

Reno grinned. "Totally nothing, boss."

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "I'm not your boss." He replied simply, with an air that clearly didn't tolerate any nonsense. "Your boss is waiting for you upstairs. Move."

* * *

><p>At level 66 of the Shinra Building, the trio walked out from the lift. This is where offices of the Shinra's top executives are located. Although Veld's office is not situated here, the general conference room is. Normal SOLDIERS and Turks like Reno and Rude are not granted access from levels 59 and above so they need to be accompanied by a keycard holder in order to reach the floor.<p>

Tseng walked ahead, leading the way, but he suddenly turned back and gave the two of them a glance over. "Couldn't you be more proper in your attire just this once, Reno?" He said, his frown deepening. "It's Veld you're meeting. Be more appropriate."

Reno yawned. He made small attempts to straighten his crumpled shirt and tucked his shirt, although it made little improvement to his general appearance. With a finishing flourish, he pulled up his pants which hung loosely on his lanky figure. "There. Satisfied?"

"You're impossible." Tseng muttered under his breath as he strode ahead.

"He's satisfied." Rude assured the grinning Reno.

Tseng knocked the glass door of the conference room, even though Reno and Rude could look through and see that Veld, the head of the Turks, was clearly waiting for them. Veld lifted his hand and motioned them to enter. They stepped in, first Reno, then Rude and finally Tseng, pressing the button to close the glass door behind them. The group was surrounded by a comfortable silence.

Veld stood up. His appearance allowed people to mistake him as a SOLDIER rather than a Turk, with his slightly tanned skin, goatee and a huge scar across his cheek. His most striking feature was his prosthetic arm, his real one lost during the Kalm destruction incident two years ago.

"Welcome," Veld said, his voice deep and full of what could be years of experience and burden. "We've met before, of course. Thank you for your time to see me. Please take a seat."

They took a seat at a comfortable distance away from their head, Tseng sat the closest to Veld.

"So… whatcha got for us, boss?" Reno gave a cheeky grin.

Veld sighed at his attitude. "Your attitude in everything else apart from your work is everything but acceptable. I'm glad I've gotten over your attire issues… I bet Tseng must've spruced you up before meeting me." He observed at Reno's substandard attempts to keep his uniform neat.

Tseng stood and bowed. "I apologise for my lack of showing discipline over them."

Veld waved his hand, and Tseng sat down. "I guess Reno's a bit of a rebel huh?" He sighed. "It's hard to believe that Reno has shown exemplary skill in his jobs and assisgnment, despite being in the Turks for barely over a year. Unfortunately for us all, I've decided, with Tseng's approval and recommendation, that Reno, you'll be a third-in-command, under Tseng."

Reno waved. "I know… I did really well this year…" His face looked offended. "What do you mean 'unfortunately for us all'? I've been really goo…" His voice trailed off as he finally processed the last bits of information. "Third-in-command?" His face was incredulous. "… What does that even mean?" He asked stupidly.

Rude placed a palm on his forehead in resignation.

Veld took a long sip of his coffee before continuing. "It means nothing, actually. It just means that you are now capable of making minor decisions on your own, and go for solo missions with your partner." He nodded to Rude. "I didn't promote you because I want to shape up Reno further, and you're essential in making him better."

Rude folded his arms. "Promotion doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm paid the due amount for my work." He replied in a professional tone.

Veld chuckled. "Of course that can be arranged. By paying you the due amount for your work, handling Reno would most likely mean a double in your salary."

"Hey!" Reno stood up at the sound of the pay increase. "What about me?"

Tseng glared at him. "You are the reason for his income. You should be lucky we're not docking your pay."

Reno sat down in a huff. He turned to Rude. "Drinks on you tonight."

"I'll think about that." Rude replied.

Reno nodded at Veld. "Whatever you say. But I do have a condition."

Veld's eyes narrowed. "You are in no position to negotiate."

_Damn._ He thought. He scratched his head. "Then, may I ask something of you?"

Veld cleared his throat. "I thought I said you're not in a position to negotiate." He said calmly.

"But… I have a request, and I really need you to hear me out without interrupting." Reno sat straight and looked at his leader straight in the eye.

Veld narrowed his eyes again. "You have 3 minutes."

* * *

><p>On the Turks Residential Floor (not as if she knew which floor is which), the girl peeked out of Leia's room, her wide hazel eyes taking in the environment once again. She was wearing a large t-shirt borrowed by Leia, it was light pink and had pictures of strawberries on it. The t-shirt covered her small body like a dress. She didn't have any other clothes. She threw all her belongings behind when she followed the Turks.<p>

Once checking that no one was around, she quietly tip-toed her way into the pantry. The room was empty as she peered in. She heaved a sigh of relief, but too soon, because a sharp blade was held at her throat.

"Well now…" An unfeeling female voice said behind her ear, sending chills down her spine. "What do we have here? A rat? A thief? A spy?"

Meia held her breath, not really knowing what to do that will not have the blade rip her head off.

"Cissnei?" Meia heard Leia's voice. "What are you- Oh my gosh Cissnei! Let go of her!"

Apparently "Cissnei" removed her blade but Meia remained rooted to the ground, stunned by the brief brush with Death.

"Who's this?" the voice belonging to "Cissnei" asked. Meia felt herself shivering. She has never heard a voice as chilling as the girl whom Leia called Cissnei. So far, Leia, Reno, Rude were fine. Even Alana was merely reproachful. But she has never heard anything as terrifying…

Leia answered. "Reno found her on the streets of Sector 4 during yesterday's mission, she was half-dead."

"Reno brought her back?" Her voice was skeptical. "Doesn't he know what happens if she was found out?"

"I know… that's why Reno and Rude are talking to Veld right now." Leia turned Meia towards her. "Meia… it's alright now… don't be scared. Look! This is Cissnei."

Meia slowly lifted her eyes up at the other woman whom she assumed was Cissnei. She gaped at her. To say that Cissnei was beautiful was an understatement. She was a redhead, but unlike Reno, the red was muted, almost auburn. She wore her hair in curls, and she had hazel eyes, just like herself. Cissnei was a few inches taller than she was.

Cissnei apparently, gaped at her too. "Oh gosh, she's just a kid! I thought she was a spy!" She shook her head, her harsh tone breaking. She was silent for a while, looking as if she was reprimanding herself. "Hey…" Her stern exterior instantly broke into a caring look. "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded her head. "Yes Sister Cissnei."

"Awww… she called me Sister Cissnei!" She gushed to Leia. "I'm no longer the youngest around!"

Leia nodded, motioning them to enter the pantry room. "I don't know why you'll mistake someone wearing my t-shirt as an assassin, but forget it. I don't know how well would Veld take this. She seemed pretty determined to join the Turks." She explained.

Cissnei looked at Meia, who stiffened at her action. Cissnei looked visibly hurt and Meia felt bad, but… it'll take some time before she could warm up to Cissnei.

Leia, as if reading her thoughts, answered. "Don't worry, you'll get used to Cissnei quick. She has that gift." Turning to Cissnei, she further explained the events that happened after Sector 4, including the episode with Alana.

Cissnei grinned. "Feisty like Alana, I like."

"Ladies."

"Hi Kido." Meia turned to the doorway to find a slim and tall man. His black hair was styled in an abstract manner. His holster held two guns and he was looking very confused now. "What's with the face?" Cissnei teased.

"I'm supposed to look in the Turk floor for someone called 'Mia'." He frowned. "Veld's orders."

Leia pushed the girl forward. "She's the one."

Kido stared at her, and Meia blushed under his gaze. "You sure?" He glanced at them.

"Positive." Leia nodded. "Meia," Getting the attention of the girl, she remarked. "She doesn't have anything to wear to meet Veld."

"I have a pair of old trousers she could use." Cissnei offered, glancing at Meia head to toe. "I'm about her size two years ago."

"I'm afraid we don't have time." Kido deadpanned. "Veld says if I don't bring her up in 5 minutes, Reno will be adorning our cafeteria with his butt-nakedness tonight."

"Better Meia dress down than Reno butt-naked." Cissnei cringed, vigourously shaking her curly head to get rid of the unhealthy image.

Meia looked at Leia. "You're not coming? It would be nice if you're around." Leia shook her head, the girl nodded in response. "I'll do my best then." She smiled.

As she entered the lift with Kido and he slid the keycard into the elevator, she asked shyly. "What is your name, again?"

"Kido." Was his curt answer.

She sighed. She was hoping that the solemn man will be able to cheer her up before meeting the famous Veld. Kido did not talk much to her, by the time she reached the conference room, her heart was pumping fast and she could only guess the events to come.

* * *

><p>Veld walked around the petite figure, who stood in the middle of the room donned only with a large t-shirt, barefooted. His brows furrowed. "Let me see your eyes." Meia lifted her head to behold the great man whom everyone called Veld and tried not to stare at his mechanical arm. "No signs of Mako infusion." He observed. He picked up her arm.<p>

Meia heard a movement from the back, and Veld looked up.

"Nothing, boss." Rude's voice came from the back. "Reno just tripped, that's all."

Meia frowned and wondered how it was possible to trip when one was sitting down.

At the back, Reno hissed at Rude. "What was that for?"

Rude replied. "You looked like you're ready to assassinate your leader."

"He was holding her arm roughly!" He hissed again.

"Stop being stupid. There's no way Veld will harm her." Rude reasoned.

Veld's voice was heard again. "Where did you get this… from?" He gestured at Meia's oversized t-shirt.

"It was borrowed from-" Reno began.

"Reno, I did not ask you the question." Was Veld's answer.

Meia looked at the man. "Leia lent it to me." She flushed. Did this man see her as a thief now? "I didn't bring any belongings with me."

To her surprise, Veld chuckled. "I never thought Leia had this girly streak in her. Strawberries? I'll be sure to tease her the next time I see her." Meia stared at him in wonder, nodding in response, even though Veld's comment was not meant for her.

The man walked slowly back to his seat. "Sir." Meia watched a man with a short ponytail and some kind of dot in between his eyebrows protested. "Sir, this is ludicrous."

Veld held his hand up, as if stopping the man. He turned to Meia. "Why are you here?"

She looked at him. "I want to be a Turk… sir." She added respectfully.

"Hmm… she knows her place enough to call me 'sir'." Veld mused. "Reno, you ought to learn some manners from her."

"What?" Reno complained.

Ignoring the redheaded Turk, Veld held her gazing, asking only one word. "Why?"

Meia blushed. "I… I want to be like Vincent Valentine!"

Veld was startled, though not offended. "You know Vincent?"

Meia nodded. "I don't know how, but as soon as I had a conscience, I knew of Mr. Valentine and his works!" She continued, not wanting to lose a possible chance of rejection. "I am impressed with everything that the Turks do! They are efficient, competent, and fast. I know that if I'm here I'll learn a lot of things... sir." She quickly added.

Veld leaned towards her. The expression on his face was unreadable. "Girl… where did you learn the word 'efficient' and 'competent'? How old are you?"

Meia flushed. "I'm… I'm 12… sir! I learnt the word when I was reading an advertisement for the Turk recruitment."

Veld sat back and stared at her. "… Really? We wrote 'efficient' and 'competent'?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "It was…" But she stopped herself.

"It was?" Veld continued. "Finish it."

Thinking quickly, she said. "It was the two words that stuck on my head and made me want to be a Turk!" She fibbed.

Veld frowned. "Do you even know the meaning of 'efficient' and 'competent'?"

"Boss!" Reno shouted at the back. "It's a Turk interview, not some vocabulary test!"

Veld glared at Reno. "Well, Little…"

"Meia."

"Little Meia, you seem like a good girl. But Reno said that you have no combat experience, except to keep yourself protected while you're chased by the Sector 4 monsters." Veld sighed. "I need a Turk who can fight and do work for me." He looked at her again. "So… no."

"Aww come on!" Reno shouted.

"Reno…" Tseng's voice warned.

"You haven't even given her a chance!"

"Rude."

Rude grabbed Reno back onto his seat.

Veld turned to Meia. "I hope you are not sad about it. Please take your time to say goodbye to the brothers and sisters you've met so far."

Reno's eyes widened, knowing well what the leader meant. "NO!"

"RENO!" Tseng stood up. "Wait for us outside. Rude!"

Meia watched as Rude dragged the protesting Reno out of the room, wondering why Brother Reno was reacting like that at all. She turned back to Veld. "Not at all!" She smiled brightly. "I'm glad that you could give me a chance!"

Veld smiled. "You're really a sweet girl. You remind me of my daughter."

Meia saw a hint of sadness in his eyes, and wisely decided against asking further.

Tseng stood up. "I'll ask Reno and Rude to bring her downstairs." Veld nodded.

* * *

><p>"Damn it, why are blueprints so hard to read?" Cursed Leia as she stared at the mass of blue in front of her.<p>

She was sitting in the pantry room. Kido, Cissnei and Haato were sitting around her.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Haato assured charmingly. "The blueprints of the Sector 4 are at least 5 years old, and the markings are almost gone. It's a bitch to understand anything here."

"Hey all…" They heard Reno's voice.

"Reno? Meia! How was it?" Cissnei asked.

Meia smiled. "It was alright, I'm not selected to be a Turk."

"Not…" Upon seeing the solemn faces of the two Turks standing at the pantry doorway, they knew why their faces were downcast.

"Oh Meia…" Leia hugged the girl, wishing that it wasn't the last time she could hug the adorable girl.

Clearly the girl mistook Leia's sadness as not being able to see her as a Turk. Glancing over Leia's shoulders, she saw the blueprints. "What's that?" She asked innocently.

Kido stiffened as he tried to cover the information but Haato waved it off. "Relax, she's not going to tell." Even his usually jovial face was solemn with the knowledge of Meia's future.

Kido relaxed and said to Meia. "It's the blueprints for Sector 4 Sewers." He explained. "We need to locate… find somebody." He quickly changed his words so that she could understand better.

The face of Haato brightened suddenly. "Meia, weren't you from Sector 4?" He asked excitedly. Meia nodded. "Have you been to the sewers before?"

Meia nodded. "Once. About three years ago, when I was running away from a monster."

The faces all around fell. "Oh well," Haato sighed. "It was worth a try."

"But I remember everything I see there."

"Yeah, but-"

"No, every single detail that my eyes saw, I remembered."

Leia slowly looked at Meia. "… What?"

Reno's face suddenly came alive. "What are you talking about, little one?"

Meia grabbed the blueprints and studied it for half a minute. Her fingeres traced a route starting from the entrance. "There," She pointed a corner. "You see the wall has a missing brick, third from the right and another just 2 rows diagonally left up. And there," She pointed to another area. "There is a ladder and leads up to the higher part of the sewers."

The Turks stared at her in awe as she rattled information as if she's been living in the sewers everyday.

Meia made a frustrated face as she realized the map was a blur. "This blueprint sucks." She grabbed a fresh piece of paper and a pencil. Reno stared in horror as a brand new map, childish looking but extremely detailed, formed within minutes. "There. This map I drew is much better than the blue map you have."

Kido turned to the little girl in amazement. His stoic face breaking in utter surprise. "How… how did you know all these?"

Meia blushed. She turned to Rude. "I told you I've got a good memory!" She stuck her tongue out. "I knew the alphabet and memorized my way around Sectors 4 and 5 when I was three years old!" She frowned, imitating Rude's tone yesterday. "Anyone can do that with a bit of effort." She mocked rudely.

Reno finally broke into laughter, after hours of anxiety and torture. "She sounds just like you!" Rude shifted uncomfortably.

Leia stood up. "We don't have time to waste." Her voice was clear and stable, but her face was joyous at the breakthrough.

Haato stood up as well, but he looked at Meia doubtfully. "Hey kid, what if you're just messing with us? Are you sure about this?"

Meia gazed at him with the exact unnerving gaze that she gave Rude, her voice was sure. "I don't need to be sure, _I know_." Haato cleared his throat uncomfortably at her confidence.

"What's going on here?"

"Tseng!" Cried Leia. "We've figured out the map! We're on our way to find Leto."

Tseng nodded his head. "Good job, Leia. Move fast."

"Oh and, you might wanna reconsider killing Meia now." Were her last words before she left.

Meia jerked. "KILL ME?" She yelled fearfully. She looked at Reno, her hazel eyes now full of terror as she understood the situation. "You're killing me because I'm not selected as a Turk?"

Reno held her small body close to him. "Nothing is going to kill you," he assured, his hand finding no resistance as it ran through her hair. "I'm sure Veld wouldn't kill you when he hears how you've cracked the confounding blueprints. Shush..." He tried to calm her down with little effect.

Tseng shook his head in defeat. "What just happened here?"

Rude cocked his head at Tseng. "I'll fill you in."

* * *

><p>The Sector 4 Sewers looked as bad as it smelt. Leia walked ahead, the little girl's map held in her hands. While travelling to Sector 4 in the company car, she studied the map carefully. It was well drawn and detailed, labeling where a ladder or a sign was. It was definitely much easier to read compared to the blueprints.<p>

She sighed. She wanted to believe that the girl was not lying. _What reason does she have to sabotage us?_ She reasoned to herself. She did not know then that she was going to be killed for infiltrating the Shinra Building as an 'unregistered visitor', in official terms. Leia shook the thought out of her head. _No! It's not the time to think about this. We need to capture Leto in the fastest and most efficient way possible._

"Well I'll be damned." Cursed Haato, bringing Leia back to her senses. As she turned to see what he was talking about she saw, where little girl's map accurately pinpointed out, the brick wall with two bricks missing, third from the right and another just 2 rows diagonally left up.

* * *

><p>Tada! I hope you like the story so far!<p>

Big thanks to the reviewers who've taken their time to write their comments! And to those who're reading this but not reviewing… I won't hold it against you .

Don't worry too much about Cissnei. She is warm and friendly to her friends, but in the face of enemies she's deadly. Hence the hostile treatment to Meia.

I hope Meia won't turn out to be a Mary Sue. Well… I guess all OCs have a bit of that in them. I'm not going to make her some superhuman or something. I'll figure my way around this! Addressing TheWritingArtist's concern about Meia's immaturity... it'll also be addressed in time to come!

Do review! It'll mean so much if you could!


	4. Acceptance

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 4 – Acceptance**

Veld leaned back against his chair, his hand running through his hair in frustration. "So… you are telling me that you've sent three Turks into the dangerous Sector 4 sewers, where Leto is potentially hiding, with knowledge and a map that just came out from this girl?"

Tseng nodded. "That appears to be the case."

They were now in a different room, it looked like the leader's office. It was warmly and humbly furnished, with a simple table, sofas and armchairs were placed for easy talking and discussion. Meia sat in between Reno and Rude, as the man Tseng continued to provide his report. Her heart was pumping with fear. Why didn't anyone tell her that if she were to fail, she would be executed?

She felt Brother Reno take her hand and he squeezed her hand gently. "It'll be alright." She blushed a little, feeling embarrassed that earlier on, she had cried uncontrollably upon hearing that she was going to be killed. Brother Reno held her and patted her head, he didn't budge for the whole time Rude took to explain to Tseng what happened when Leia, Kido and Haato were figuring out the blueprints. Even after that, it took Rude some gentle patting on her back to finally subdue her tears.

Meia glanced at Reno's shirt. His shirt had a large wet patch where her tears (_and who knows what else?_) formed. Although his uniform was messy and unkempt, that was not reason enough for her to dirty it further.

"Meia."

"Yes!" She responded, jerking out of her seat.

Veld motioned her to come closer to the table. When she did, he asked. "Can you remember every word that was on the Turk's advertisement?"

Meia smiled. It was not a problem at all. She recited the whole introduction of Shinra Electrical Company, their need for new 'general executives for the Department of Administrative Research', and the job scope. As she ended, she commented casually. "Brother Rude is the model for the recruitment."

Rude's straight eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You recognized me?"

Meia glanced over her shoulder. "You didn't change much." She replied cheekily.

"Very impressive." Veld concluded as he set the paper that he was holding down. Meia saw that it was the Turk advertisement that she recited earlier. "Every word was correctly recited." He said softly. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

Meia flushed. "… I… I thought… when I did it back in the slums, everyone looked at me differently." Her eyes looked at the carpet embroidery. "They thought I was a liar."

Veld nodded. "I don't blame them." Meia's eyes stared at him in surprise. "What you have, my girl, is an uncommon gift called 'photographic memory'."

"Photo…" She fumbled with the words.

"Sir," Tseng asked. "What does it mean?"

"It means that the person has a high capacity to remember and recall easily everything that she has experienced and seen." Veld glanced at the shy girl now. "In her case, it's a strong gift. I dare say she knew and remembered everything ever since she was 5?"

"3, sir." She answered. "I started becoming aware at 3."

"Young…" He mused, deep in thought.

Meia's heart pounded, her luck was on the verge of turning around. She knew she could not afford to risk the chance but still…

"Would you still want me as a Turk now?" She blurted out.

"Meia!" Tseng cried out her name for the first time.

Veld laughed. "You're bold, little girl! That kind of boldness is what we need." He grinned. "My only concern: You're still lacking in the combat department."

Reno jumps out from the sofa. He cut in, his voice enthusiastic. "I'll help her with training if she wants!"

Her face brightened at the thought of Brother Reno able to help her. Veld's face on the other hand wasn't so happy. "No, you'll ruin her brains and she'll end up like you."

"What's wrong with mimicking me?" Reno smirked. "I'm third-in-command yo!"

"Keep this up and I'll bump you down." Replied Tseng coolly. He turned to Veld. "Sir, do you need more time to consider this situation? We can keep her in the residence for a few weeks if it's necessary."

Reno looked annoyed. "Come on, Tseng, weren't you saying how the Turks need to be an even number to make missions easier?"

As Veld turned to Tseng, the younger Turk slightly coloured and coughed. "Yes… Yes sir, I did mention to Reno in a _casual conversation_," He glared at the redhead while emphasizing the words. "That we total of 11 in numbers, myself included."

"Then don't join them, Tseng." Said Veld, his face serious, but his voice amused. "They'll be even-numbered again. But anyway…" He glanced at the bewildered girl. "Meia."

"Yes sir?"

"Consider yourself employed. Tseng will ensure your orientation is a smooth one. Unlike the other Turks who can go on small missions in a few months, I would like to ask you to stay in the Shinra building until I give you permission to do missions and leave the building."

Meia nodded. "Yes, I'll stay inside until you tell me to."

"I… I am interested in your photographic memory. While you get yourself acquainted with a suitable weapon and fit in the group, I will observe you and your progress, please try to cooperate." Meia nodded again. There were a few words she didn't understand, but she'll ask Brother Reno or Brother Rude later. "Tseng, I trust you know what to do."

"Yes sir."

Meia's heart was overjoyed. "Thank you very much! I won't ever forget your kindness! Thank you, Uncle Veld, Uncle Tseng!"

Reno choked on his saliva, but he couldn't care less. He bent over and starting howling in laughter. Even the silent Rude sniggered, which was rarer than encountering a wild gold chocobo. Meia stared at the two Turks wild-eyed, especially the composed Rude, who was now covering his smile behind his gloved hand. _What did I say?_

"Un… Uncle Tseng!" Reno was trembling as he clutched his sides in pain.

"Shut up, you two!" Tseng's voice was murderous.

Veld laughed as well. "Meia, I suggest you call us Veld and Tseng." Meia looked horrified. "At least, Brother Veld and Brother Tseng."

At the back, Reno's subdued laugh was still audible.

"Reno, you're getting OT tonight." Tseng concluded.

"Doesn't matter to me, boss number two," Reno greeted Tseng mockingly, grinning as he and Rude led Meia out. He closed his fingers so that it looks like a gun and he pointed it at Tseng. "I had my fix of the day. Ciao." He closed the door behind him.

"I swear…" Tseng shook his head and his embarrassed face quickly returned to its stoic manner. "Sir, I know Reno can be a little… wild at times. But I am still confident in his skills as a Turk and would hope you're not doubting your decision."

The leader of the Turks ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I know, Tseng. You have quite a handful to deal with I guess?"

"Nothing too difficult that I cannot handle, sir." The cell phone rang as he spoke. After asking for Veld's permission to answer the phone, he said into the phone. "Well?" There was a long silence as the caller talked. "I see… that's very impressive indeed. Thank you. Please return to the HQ with the suspect."

As Tseng flipped his cell phone shut, Veld raised his eyebrows. "Leia?"

"Yes. Leia, Haato and Kido have successfully nabbed Leto." Tseng paused briefly for the leader to absorb the information. "It also appears that… the drawn map was highly accurate. They didn't need the blueprints at all."

Veld nodded. "Impressive. Eidetic memory is not common in children. It mainly manifests in autistic children, but not in normal children like…" He suddenly frowned and asked, "How old did she say she was again?"

"12."

"She seems a little too old to…" Veld lapsed into thought, looking at his prosthetic arm.

"Sir?"

"She's just a little younger than her … if she was still alive." Were Veld's words.

Tseng faltered, not knowing what to say. "I… I'm sorry for your loss." Veld hardly talked about his past.

Two years ago, when Tseng was still a rookie Turk, Veld sent the Shinra troops to bomb the town Kalm to destroy all evidence of an information leak regarding Shinra weapons. Veld gave the order, knowing that his wife and his 15 year-old daughter Felicia were in still Kalm.

Tseng had always admired him for his serious attitude towards his work as a Turk. Till the point of not showing favouritism to his family, whatever that needed to be done must be done. A Turk will not let his human feelings falter with the company's goal. Veld did it, yet he suffered in his heart for his inhumane actions. That was also the same time when Veld lost his arm and was shortly replaced with a prosthetic one.

Veld waved a hand casually. "It's been 2 years. I'm over it. The arm still reminds me of what I've lost for Shinra's cause, nevertheless…" He stared at the Turk advertisement for a while. "Tseng."

"Yes."

"… Take good care of Meia."

Tseng glanced at Veld's face, but the experienced leader showed no more emotion on his face.

"Yes sir."

* * *

><p>As soon as the Shinra's company sidecar came to a stop, Leia jumped out of the car.<p>

"Oi!" Haato called after her. "I barely stopped the car!" He yelled over the driver's seat.

"Leave her be." Said Kido. "She must've gone to check if the kid's alive."

Haato stared after her, she entered the lift and the doors closed. "That's not the Leia that I'm familiar with."

"Nor me." Kido unfolded his arms as he alighted the car. He turned to Haato. "I'll go ensure Leto is locked away." Haato offered to follow him.

As the elevator slowly made its incline toward the prison cells, Kido thought about Leia's unusual actions. Leia is known for her no-nonsense, fuss-free work attitude. Formerly a mercenary, she was used to the life of a Turk much better than her colleagues. Similar to Alana, her work is efficient and fast. However, Leia is a little less strict than Alana but that doesn't mean that she spent time interacting with her colleagues.

_Not as if I do that either._ He thought. _Shouldn't girls be more… sociable?_ He thought of Cissnei and Cassie, another Turk who specialized in the shotgun. _They seem to get along fine even though they have work to do._

To get Leia to be worried and flustered for someone else… it was not like her at all. _Meia… Perhaps this girl might change the Turks for better… or worse._

* * *

><p>Meia, Reno and Rude were in the pantry room when Leia barged in. "… Well?" She asked breathlessly. Leia honestly didn't need to ask, Meia had already taken out the strawberry t-shirt and was wearing a casual shirt over work pants and flat-soled sandals. Cissnei was clever enough to place the set of clothes on the pantry table… just in case. Meia looked funny with the mismatched clothing, but at least she looked more presentable than a plain oversized t-shirt.<p>

Meia's face broke into a wide grin. "I'm accepted!"

It almost took all of Leia not to squeal in relief. No, that was much too uncharacteristic for Leia. She still has a reputation to live to, and maintain. Instead, Leia strongly hugged the small girl in her arms. "That's good." She said with a hint of emotion in her voice.

The little girl hugged her back tightly. "I'm glad that I don't have to die… that's for sure."

Reno cut in. "Hey… What about me?" He asked with a drawl. "I fought hand and limb to ensure that she was able to become a Turk!"

Leia narrowed her eyes at him. "You should be glad that you were spared from having to run around the cafeteria buck-naked."

Reno gave her a cheeky look. "I bet that you want to see it nevertheless." He teased. It resulted in a heavy punch across his cheek. Reno half-flew and landed onto the floor on his side.

"Brother Reno!" Meia cried in shock.

"Damn," He cursed as he propped himself up. His cheek significantly showed a mark where Leia's powerful punch landed. "I always forget how strong your punches are."

"My kicks are stronger." She said emotionlessly, tugging her gloves from the attack.

Rude shook his head, cutting in. "No, Reno would be suicidal to try your kicks." He turned to Reno. "You should've thought better before saying stupid things like that."

Tseng walked in the pantry room. He never needed to search high and low for his colleagues. They preferred to gather in the pantry room, even though there was a larger, more comfortable lounge bar just a level above. Upon seeing the sight, he shook his head. "I don't even want to know what happened."

"Yes, you don't, Tseng." Muttered Leia.

Tseng turned to Leia. "Where is Leto?"

"SOLDIER has placed her in the prison cells on Level 67." She reported. "I've already tasked Kido to ensure the job is done."

"Good job, Leia." She nodded her thanks.

"What's going to happen to Leto now?" Asked Rude to Tseng.

The second-in-command rubbed the bridge of his nose with his two fingers. "Veld has yet to give the command. But interrogation is necessary, since she's suspected to be a Wutaian spy."

"Geez," Reno placed his hands behind his head in a laid-back manner. "Wutai never stop their infiltrations, do they?"

Meia blinked at the confusing conversation between the older Turks, wondering what they were talking about. Tseng noticed her small actions and said, "Don't worry too much about these for now. You'll know all these information at the back of your hand by the time I'm done with you. Of course," He cleared his throat. "With your memory it'll be much easier. For now, I'll bring you around the building, if you like."

Her face brightened. "Yes please!"

Reno's face brightened as well. "I want to come along!"

"No," replied Tseng with a smug smile. "You are doing OT tonight, isn't it? I have tons of paperwork that needs clearing. Just in time too. They're on your desk right now."

Reno's face fell in disappointment. "Fine." He grumbled. "But I'm still not regretting it, Uncle Tseng!"

"RENO!"

Even stone-faced Leia burst out laughing. "Good grief! What happened?"

Meia shyly said, "I accidentally called him Uncle Tseng."

If Tseng was flustered, he definitely did not show it on his face. "Meia, just don't." Meia nodded, grinning childishly that she won't ever do it again.

"The Turks will all know about this tomorrow anyway." Rude pointed. "Secrets don't stay a secret for long."

Tseng's face finally showed resignation. "Meia. Follow me. I suppose the rest of you have work to do?" He turned to the other Turks. Rude nodded. Leia replied that she has a meeting with Haato and Kido regarding Leto. Reno merely scoffed. "Good. See you at dinner tonight."

* * *

><p>As the elevator doors closed, Tseng turned to Meia. "Well, then… I'll bring you on a tour, and then continue after we're done with the uniforms, alright?"<p>

Meia grinned. "Yes Brother Tseng!" As Tseng pressed the button to the first story, she gazed out of the sky elevator, overlooking the city of Midgar. "So this is how it looks like above the plate…" She murmured.

Tseng noticed her eyes were taking in every detail of the Midgar landscape in front of her. Unlike normal people who merely admired the landscape, her eyes shifted in quick motions, stopping at every detail briefly. It was most interesting to see how her eyes work together with her brain. Clearing his throat to get her attention, Tseng began his detailed tour.

"The level we were in was Floor 54. Our residential rooms are spanned across Floors 53 and 54, but our pantry is connected by a spiral staircase." Meia nodded, remembering the unique pantry that can access both floors easily without the elevator. "Females reside in Floor 54, males in Floor 53. I'll start from the first storey and we'll work our way up."

The doors opened, and Meia glanced around the lobby. When she entered the Shinra Building, it was through the carpark, so it was the first time she saw the entrance. "It's huge…" She exclaimed. The first storey is a large lobby and the ceiling is two storeys high, the curved staircases led to the second storey. In the far front she saw the receptionist table.

"Yes, yes it is." He stared at the receptionist table. "Your identification card first." With Meia trying to keep up with his long strides, Tseng made a beeline towards the receptionist.

Meia was given a particulars form to fill in, but she had little success filling it out. She had little information of herself. She did not have a last name, her birthday was December 15, both her parents are dead… That was it.

Meia was quiet by the time Tseng returned the form to the receptionist and was told that her identification card would be ready in two days.

* * *

><p>"There really isn't much in the first 3 storeys…" Tseng explained, the events minutes earlier not affecting his tour. "The exhibition room, the Shinra item shop where you can stock up before your missions... That's about all."<p>

"Hi Tseng!" Meia turned to see a woman who stood at the front of the right staircase. The woman was dressed in a professional suit and had her hair bunned up. Looking at Meia, she asked. "Whose kid is that?"

Tseng stiffened. "She's a new Turk."

The woman took a good look at her and suddenly Meia felt very underdressed next to the woman's professional suit. "She's rather small." The woman frowned at Tseng. "You guys haven't been abducting kids to do dirty work, have you?"

"I assure you, Melissa, that is not the case."

Melissa smiled. "It's not my job to worry for the Turks anyway." Turning to Meia, she asked, "Would you like to try Shinra's new potion? It's free for SOLDIERS, but I suppose you could use one right now."

Meia tugged the sleeve of Tseng's suit and looked at him questioningly. Tseng sighed, wondering various things about her behaviour. "Go ahead and take one, Meia. It's good."

The girl received the metal capsule with thanks. Meia peered inside. The potion was aqua in colour, and by human instincts, not a safe colour to consume. However, she trusted Tseng that the strange formula is safe. Resisting the urge to pinch her nose while drinking it, she took a large gulp. The potion was unusually sweet, it tasted like mint and cherries, albeit the aqua colour. The formula ran down her throat smoothly, warming every inch of her body. She was startled when she felt strength returning to her body, as if she had slept for days and ate a Behemoth's meal.

"… Thank you." She said, astonished. "That was amazing stuff."

Melissa laughed. "I can tell, you look visibly better."

Thanking Melissa, Tseng then led Meia to the lifts again.

* * *

><p>"Storeys 4-45 are pretty boring actually." Tseng said as the lift made its incline. "Offices, science laboratories, archives... But we'll stop at Floor 10 for your measurements. Your health appointment will be tomorrow. The clinic is closed now, but we can book our appointment through the system."<p>

"Where is the clinic situated in?"

"Storey 10."

Meia glanced at the Turk. "… Thank you for giving the detailed tour." She beamed. "I know that you're not obliged to do so."

Tseng straightened his tie. "It is my job to ensure that my colleagues fit into Shinra well on their first day on the job." He looked straight ahead. "A bad start meant a bad work attitude."

Meia giggled to herself. Tseng suddenly wasn't as fierce as how Brother Reno depicted.

The doors opened, revealing a small horizontal corridor with a few doors. "Appointment first?" She asked. Tseng nodded. There was a kiosk that Shinra employees used to book health appointments in advance, lest the clinic was closed. After making the appointment for tomorrow morning, they walked down the corridor to the tailor's, who fussed on Meia's petite build.

"Don't worry about the uniforms, if you gain or lose weight." Tseng assured Meia as they entered the lift again. "Uniforms are free. Of course, that meant that you have to wear them as long as you're on duty." Meia nodded, her mind clouded with thoughts.

The lift had just passed the 20th floor before Tseng spoke again. "Don't be too upset about your past."

"How did you know that I was thinking about that?"

Tseng did not reply her question. "Many of us joined the Turks because of various reasons and backgrounds. Having lost your family and everything doesn't make you extra lonesome or extra special. When you're a Turk, you're a Turk. Your personal life and matters should not hinder your work."

The girl nodded. "I don't have anything now to affect me anyway." Tseng looked a little uncomfortable at the fact that he didn't help to make her feel better. "Don't worry, Brother Tseng." She laughed. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"… How is it like to have a brain like that?" He asked cautiously. He was aware that he sounded pretty idiotic but he didn't know a better way to ask.

Meia made a face as she thought. "Well… it's quite easy actually. If I want to remember something, the picture will just show up in my mind." She explained with simple words. "Sometimes my mind talks too much though, so I have to quieten down to listen to what my brain says." She frowned.

Tseng stared. "You-"

_Ding!_

The doors of Level 49 opened. Dropping whatever that he wanted to say, Tseng led Meia inside. "Floors 46-51 belong to SOLDIER, Shinra's elite fighting force. You can read them up yourself, I'm sure?"

Meia nodded. "But I'm struggling with some words…" She said sadly.

Tseng nodded. "Not to worry, preparations to be a proper Turk are detailed and extensive. I'm sure you will read well enough to understand simple texts."

"Okay."

"Anyway, back to the tour." Tseng gestured at the lobby. "You don't have to worry about the other SOLDIER floors. Your identification card would not grant you access to these floors anyway. The only access you have, and you should remember, is Floor 49." Tseng looked around for people, but there was no one, save a few scientists standing outside the Materia Room. "This floor is usually out-of-bounds to the Turks. We only have need on this floor only for one thing: the training room. You can use the controls to simulate different areas in the world, for you to train in. Of course, since the SOLDIERS use it so much, we only get to enjoy it during their field training days."

"Do we use Materia at all?" She asked. She had a little experience with Materia when she was in the Wall Market once.

"Not really. We hardly use Materia, relying mostly on our weapons. Because we're not infused with Mako energy, our bodies cannot control high quantities Materia in one go. We usually stick to maximum two Materia at one time. SOLDIERS use up to seven, and that's only for those who can withstand the side effects of equipping Materia."

They walked back to the lift. "It's the Turk level now right?" She smiled.

"Yes. We have more levels to play with." A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "All levels from 52-57 are available through your identification card. Floor 52 is our own archives. 53, 54 are the rooms. Floor 55 is a mere exclusive lift to the helipad. Reno pilots it."

Upon hearing 'helicopter', Meia's face brightened. "Helicopter? Brother Reno pilots it?"

"Yes, that's his specialty. Floor 56 is where we'll have our dinner and where the lounge is. Meetings that do not involve Veld, we'll hold it in the lounge. The cafeteria is open to everyone, there are other cafeterias in the Shinra building too, you'll have to find them out yourself. Floor 57 is our office. Veld's office is in Floor 58, the one with the sofas and carpet, but you need special access."

Meia nodded. "And after Floor 58?

"Special floors that need keycards. You don't have to worry yourself with that." Tseng replied as they stepped out of the lift at Floor 56. "That's all. I'll continue the orientation tomorrow." He paused briefly. "Are you capable of wielding any particular weapon?"

She shook her head. "I've used anything and everything while I was in Sector 4. My aim is pretty good though, I like to throw rocks to make the monsters fall."

Tseng nodded. "After your health check tomorrow, we'll get you started on a few trials with our different weapons. The Turks use various weapons of their choice. Guns, rods, fists…"

Meia asked with interest. "What weapons do you use?"

"I specialize in guns. But sometimes I use the helicopter for air attacks. Depending on whether I do have the helicopter, that is." Tseng looked into the cafeteria, where a group of Turks were gathered. "Come, time for you to meet your colleagues."

* * *

><p>I'm so sorry that this chapter has 4000 words! It's a pain to type so many words per chapter, but I have so much to write! Please let me know if you find the chapters too long!<p>

Oh yeah, after three chapters I decided that I shall not make the title of my chapters come from Meia's words. It's tough actually XD I'll try my best but no guarantee!

Please read and review!


	5. Introductions

**Please read (unless you rather reread the front chapters), it's important!**

Hi all, due to the inconsistencies my story has with Before Crisis, I've made a few changes in the previous 4 chapters. I shall state what they are.

Chapter 1: There isn't a bar in Sector 7, but there are many item shops in Sector 7 that can rival the Wall Market. Leia and Rude wears two gloves instead of one.

Chapter 2 and 3: No changes!

Chapter 4: Leto (the girl they caught in Sector 4 sewers) is a Wutai spy instead of someone with AVALANCHE connections. (refer to Point 4 below).

**Please take note of these disclaimers:**

1. The story starts 2 years before the events of Before Crisis

2. Although Before Crisis states all playable characters (Alana, Cassie, Leia etc.) as new Turks, my story is such that they are already Turks, relatively new since they are not as long as Reno, Rude and Tseng, but highly competent in skills. The 'new' Turk that Before Crisis mentions will be Rod (Male).

3. In the game you only use one Turk, but in my story all the Turks will play a part in the BC storyline, including Meia. So example, Cassie is in one scene and Leia in the next, although the game only uses one character.

4. AVALANCHE exists for quite some time, but the Turks only knew of its existence in Year 0001, two years after Meia joins.

I hope that this short announcement clears things up a little.

Due to this big announcement, Chapter 5 is going to be short. REALLY short. Chapter 6 will be relatively short too (around 2500 words). And after that I'll resume to long chapters again… unless you don't want that!

* * *

><p><strong>I Want To Be A Turk!<strong>

A HUGE thank you to TheWritingArtist for being such a bold, precious reviewer to point out my story loophole and helped me with Meia's past! _(hearts)_

**Chapter 5 – Introductions**

"Meia!" Reno jumped off the table top that he was sitting on and briskly walked towards the two as soon as they appeared in the cafeteria. "How was your tour? Was Tseng a good tour guide?"

Tseng frowned slightly. "I'm fairly confident of my touring skills. I was the one who brought you around the Shinra Building."

The Turk grimaced a little, folding his arms. "But that was so boring! No fun places to explore, just simply stating which floor does what." Tseng ignored him, walking towards the rest of the Turks.

Meia giggled. "It's alright, Brother Tseng did a great job. I'm sure of the locations now."

"Turks, there is a girl who'll be joining us." Tseng frowned at the group of people lounging around a table. "Where are Mason and KK?"

"They'll be here in a minute." Replied Cissnei. She beamed at Meia, glad that the girl has survived the threat of being silenced for entering the upper floors of the Shinra Building without permission.

"Well then… I'm sure you know who Meia is." He beckoned her to his side. "She will be our newest Turk, effective tomorrow."

"You're not kidding when you said 'girl', Tseng." A female tilted her head at Meia. Meia stared at her, for she was beautiful. Long, sandy hair framed her face, tied up in a thick soft ponytail. Her soft brown eyes complimented the colour of her hair perfectly, but there was something different about her. She carried an air of elegance that Meia never saw in the Sector 4 slums. It was as if she was of royalty.

The woman smiled and she reached out her hand. "I'm Cassie." She said brightly. "I specialized in the shotgun, and I'm pretty good at it, so don't try to outdo me!" She winked.

"Cassie is pretty good with the shotgun," Reno whispered into Meia's ear. "A tad bit cocky, but a nice girl." Meia shook her hand, musing that her mysterious elegance and her slight arrogance seemed a little mismatched.

Alana stepped forward. "Alana." She said with a small smile. "I specialize in the handgun. I'm glad that you're able to join us, Meia." Meia shook her hand with a grin, she was relieved that whatever friction they had yesterday was all gone.

"Leia," greeted Leia with a smile. "I am a martial artist."

"Haato, I use the katana." Haato leaned forward. "I'll be glad to teach you lots of things." His head was rudely tapped by Reno's electro-mag rod.

"Watch what you say, Haato." Reno frowned.

"Oh? Haato glanced at the redhead slyly. "Aren't you a little protective over little Meia."

Reno coloured. "I'm not going to let you get away with your stupid pedophile thing again."

"Actually… now that you've mentioned it." Cassie peered at Reno with interest. "I've never seen you this worked out about anyone before. Hmm?"

Reno pulled Meia closer to him. "Of course! She's like a little sister! I, being the ever eligible, handsome, efficient Reno, will ensure that I protect her." Meia's face stopped right in front of his chest, the smell of his shirt was unique. Despite the crumpled state, it smelt like fresh laundry.

Haato scoffed. Cissnei shook her head. "Toughen up guys. I rather face Reno's stupid comments than to see Veld deliver the ultimatum on us by ordering Reno to strip."

Reno grinned. "I'm sure Cissnei wouldn't mind even if that happened, right?"

Meia stiffened, expecting Cissnei to deliver a punch on Reno like how Leia did. Instead she smiled, patting his back. "I'm sure, Reno… I'm sure." Meia raised her eyebrows, noting the difference. Her mind was reeling once again.

Seeing that the introduction will go nowhere, Tseng decided to finish it for them. "That's Kido, he uses the double guns. Cissnei uses the shruiken. Rude is also a martial artist, Reno uses the electro-mag rod."

Reno made a face. "Why is it that whenever Tseng takes over, the fun is over so soon?"

Tseng rolled his eyes. "I'm getting the job done quickly."

"Hey guys! What's with the crowd?" A woman with short black hair approached the group.

"KK, about time." Tseng replied coolly. "This is Meia, our newest Turk. She's not specialized in anything yet, but we'll try to get it done over the week. She'll likely start off with you, since she said that her aim is pretty good."

Meia coloured. "I'm not too sure if-"

"Alright!" KK agreed enthusaiatically. She stretched her hand towards Meia. "I'm Katherine, but you can call me KK." Meia shook her hand with equal enthusiasm. "I specialize in knives. Throwing, stabbing… Everything possible."

"What does KK mean?" Meia cocked her head.

"KK just sounds nice." Katherine grinned. "Like Katherine Knows, Katherine Knives…"

"Or Katherine Klutz, Katherine Knits, or-"

"KATHERINE KICKS ASS!" She cried as she kicked Haato.

Meia laughed as they continued squabbling. With luck, she'll be able to fit into her new workplace nicely.

"Please guys," Tseng said with an air of resignation. "Act your age."

"Yes Uncle Tseng!" Chorused the Turks.

Tseng glared at Reno, the vein at his temple was starting to appear. Reno raised his hands in surrender. "Not me! I swear!" He cried in his defense.

"It was me, I thought it was funny." Leia replied, her face was straight as poker. "Let us not waste more time and have dinner." Without waiting for a response, she walked towards the food area.

"Trust Leia to pull an under-handed joke like that and still not laugh about it." Reno snorted and the matter was settled.

* * *

><p>As they were about to leave the cafeteria, someone called Reno's name. "Hey Reno, didn't know you fathered a child." Grinned a burly man with chocolate brown hair as he walked past the two of them.<p>

"Very funny, Mason." Reno glowered. "She is Meia, our newcomer to the Turks."

"Meia huh?" He bent a little forward to take a closer look. "A little young to be in the Turks, no?" He smiled at Meia. "What's your ability? I'm a martial artist, like Leia and Rude. What's yours?"

She flushed. "I…"

"She has yet to pick her weapon. Veld wants to let her have a try at all the weapons before she decides."

The burly man took a step back and stared at her. "Whoa… Veld accepted her _before_ she's even combat-trained?" He shook his head. "I know the Turks are short handed… but we're not THAT desperate, are we?"

Reno's eyes narrowed. "We are not under-staffed for sure. Where have you been?"

Mason lifted his hand, bleeding through a fresh new bandage. "Mission was tough."

"You must've saved some kid again, huh?" Reno glanced at him.

Mason laughed awkwardly. "I still can't get over the fact that we have to abandon them." He admitted sheepishly.

Reno shook his head. "You are a Turk. We're supposed to be cold-blooded, unloving, merciless, goal-oriented. You don't just abandon your mission just to save a kid from dying." He reproached. "If you must kill, then don't hesitate. If you need to resort to unscrupulous means to attain your goal, don't stop to even think 'What if?' If not, you'll die torn between these unnecessary choices."

Mason bowed his head in humility. "I understand, Reno."

"Oh listen to him talk," scoffed Cassie. "He was the one who found Meia and saved her life during a mission."

"Hey!" Reno retorted. "That was a different thing yo!"

The three Turks continued squabbling in a brief moment of mindlessness, they then dropped the subject with a grin and a nudge at Meia to join them in the pantry room.

The words of what Reno said never left Meia's mind ever since.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the long delay in update! I was figuring out the storyplot and loopholes!<p>

Dear all, **I've decided to write an average of 3000-4000 words per chapter for this story**. I usually ensure I don't exceed 3000 words. Please don't be tired of reading my long chapters. I really don't want this story to end up a hundred over chapters 0.o I'm sure you guys will die of boredom. So I'll write more per chapter, the lesser of two evils. Hope you guys will be okay with that. (Let me know!)

Hahaha every five chapters I'll make a disclaimer alright? I understand the need to do disclaims but… the fact that this is fanfiction SHOULD mean that we're not claiming it as our own already isn't it? XD

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to SquareEnix. Meia, and (only) the names of the Turks (Alana, KK, Kido, Cassie, Haato, Mason, Leia) are also mine. The crazy as crap Shinra floor planning belongs to me too (from floors 3-48, 52-58).


	6. We'll Be Family

**(Please refer to Chapter 5 for the changes made in the story)**

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 6 – We'll Be Family**

Everybody was amazed at Meia's photographic memory. She was asked to memorise loads of information, impressing the Turks every time. She had a good time knowing everyone in the Turks, even Tseng was there. The Turks pantry was unusually noisy that night, with the excitement of a rookie Turk.

"So Meia…" Asked Mason after everyone was appeased with her 'performance'. "Do you… have some kind of story that brought you here?"

"What?" She glanced at Mason in confusion.

"What he meant was 'Tell us about your past'." Explained Cissnei, her hands made a mini gesture. "Of course, if you don't want to, it's alright."

Meia laughed. "I don't mind, Sister Cissnei." She paused, organizing her thoughts. "I err… I don't remember my parents at all. I don't know who they were and how they look like. As early as I can remember, I was already alone in Sector 4. I was three years old then."

"Go on." Urged Cassie. The rest nodded, encouraging her to continue. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to listen to her, even Alana.

"Some kids found me. Two boys and a girl. They took good care of me and we were grew up together in Sector 4, doing odd jobs for the merchants in the Wall Market for payment."

Reno frowned. "But you were alone when I found you…"

Meia's heart ached at the memory again. "Three months ago, there was a fight in Sector 4. Soldiers carrying guns, weapons and wearing helmets. My friends they… they were too close." She shuddered horribly but Cissnei hugged her, quelling the fears in her. The room was in silence as the Turks disgested Meia's story.

"So after that… you've been fighting for yourself?" Alana asked.

Meia nodded with a tiny smile. "Running way mostly, attacking only so that I can escape again. I'm lucky enough to have somehow survived for the past three months."

"Lucky indeed, then again, the monsters in Sector 4 aren't that ferocious." Commented Leia. "Your friends… did the soldiers kill them?"

"Actually, they were not intentionally killed or anything. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the moment of open fire. And then I was alone again. Honestly, when Brother Reno said he was from the Turks, I only remembered Vincent Valentine. I didn't know what Shinra was, or what being a Turk truly meant. I only thought to myself that I might as well find another way to live, since there was no one I knew."

"Hmph. So it IS Reno's fault that Meia is here." Rude concluded. "If he had let her be, she wouldn't be here."

"Hey!" Reno retorted, annoyed. "Don't make her think she's unwelcomed here!" He turned to Meia. "Don't get him wrong! It's not that we don't want you here… it's just that things are much more complica… Gosh that's not right either. It's just that if you aren't here… I give up. I don't know how I should say it to make you feel better…" He trailed off when he saw Meia giggle.

"An idiot as usual." Rude offered. Cissnei grinned at Reno.

"Don't worry Brother Reno!" Meia beamed. "I don't hate any of you at all!"

Tseng cleared his throat. "Okay, I think it's getting late. All of you have work to do tomorrow isn't it?" Everyone groaned at Tseng's unexplained orders.

"It's only 10:30!"

"Way too early!"

"It's not even the last train back home!"

"Train? Not everyone lives here?" Meia asked Cassie.

"Nahh… we crash here when we're too lazy to go home." She laughed. "Usually we're around on the weekdays, but weekends I go home to my parents. They live in Mideel."

"I was from Gongaga." Haato joined in. "But I was exiled because I killed too many people." Meia shuddered a little, her imagination running wild at his mysterious past.

"Anyway, we do go home on a regular basis." Leia told her. "But some of us live permanently here, like Cissnei, KK and Haato. So you won't be alone."

Some of the Turks briefly talked about the Wutai war again, but Meia was too busy talking to Cissnei and Cassie to notice. Leia was right, Cissnei has the gift to let you warm up to her sunny personality. Already she felt as if she could be very good friends with Cissnei.

The Turks were reluctantly ready to hit the sack when Reno grabbed Meia's arm. "Come, I want to show you something cool." He said excitedly.

"I hope it's not what I'm thinking it is!" Said Haato suggestively, and Leia gave him a sharp kick in reply. "OWW, I was just joking!" Reno was already out of earshot, leading Meia to the elevator.

The other Turks were chatting among themselves, but Kido lagged a little behind to walk next to Tseng. He asked in a low voice. "Do you think that it's possible?"

Tseng coughed, a little embarrassed that his tactic to change the topic earlier was discovered. "Yes… I had my suspicions. But it's probably not a good time to let Meia know that." He stared at the ground in front of him. "Maybe it's better that she never knows…"

"I won't blame you for it." Replied Kido in a serious tone. "After all, no one would want to find out that their friends died under the hands of their employer."

"It's just a speculation, Kido." Tseng rejoined. "The Turks were dispatched during that time, but there were also SOLDIER, and the Wutai troops that infiltrated Midgar. Besides," He pursed his lips. "The kids were not murdered, just accidentally killed in the open war."

"Same difference, if you were to ask me." Kido observed. "To a child, they're all the same."

* * *

><p>Reno and Meia entered the glass elevator and Reno pressed the button to Floor 55. "Helicopters?" She asked excitedly, almost bouncing up and down.<p>

"That's right!" Reno grinned. "We can't fly it though. Helicopter is sent for maintenance."

"Oh." Her face fell.

"Don't worry, little Meia," He assured her, ruffling her hair. "You'll have lots of chances to see it."

The doors opened to another set of elevators, this one leading all the way to the rooftop, where the helipad was.

"It's so dark out here!" Meia exclaimed, skipping out of the elevator. Before her stood pitch darkness.

"You gotta look below, over the parapet." Reno advised.

As Meia peered over, she gasped in delight. Her eyes beheld the night scene of Midgar, the buildings above the plates twinkling with tiny lights. Standing on top of it all, seventy storeys above the plate, Meia was thrilled. The rooftop of the Shinra Building was engulfed in darkness, the only light sources were the weak street lights and the moon.

Reno stood just behind her, pleased with himself for thinking of showing her the helipad. "I'm glad you like it." He grinned, sticking his hands into his pockets and standing aloof.

"I do! I do! It's so pretty!" She cried excitedly. She turned around on the spot, observing the darkness at the rooftop. "The building is rather high, isn't it?"

"Seventy floors." He simply answered.

Meia looked up at the moon. It looked larger than in Sector 4. "So high… it feels like I can touch the sky." She murmured, subconsciously raising her hand to try and touch the moon. "Do you suppose if there is a God, this is the kind of view He gets everyday?" She said, more to herself.

"If there is a God, He sure made this world messed up." Reno muttered under his breath.

Meia was still staring down at the crystalline lights below. "… Brother Reno?" She asked without turning around.

"'Sup?"

"Why did you become a Turk?"

Reno was startled. He expected the question from her sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to be sooner. He pondered for a long time, so long that Meia thought he did not hear her question.

Finally he gave a little sigh. "Well… the answer is simple. I had no choice." Meia turned to him as he spoke. "My parents died by accident. Falling debris from above the plate." He snorted. "I was only 15 years old when they died. Kinda mad that Shinra took away my family. It… it was kinda stupid but I raced to Shinra and wanted to destroy it."

Meia's shocked face caused Reno to laugh. "I know, it's kinda stupid yo? I didn't even know what I want to do first. I met Tseng at the carpark of the Shinra entrance. Rather, he caught me trying to infiltrate." He smiled at the memory of it. "We had a good fight, me and my steel pipe. Tseng specialized in guns, but he took me down using his hands only. I'll never admit to him, but he was good."

Meia giggled. "He does look like he's very good in fighting."

The teenager nodded. "I knew I was going to lose and life didn't seem all that great anymore, so I surrendered. But Tseng somehow saw potential in me. Instead of killing me, he said that he'll spare my life if I pledge my loyalty to Shinra." Reno paused for an added effect. "And the rest is history." He shrugged. "It's funny that I work for the very company that brought death to my family. But Shinra has been my family ever since, and Veld is a pretty cool guy. Who knows what would happen if Tseng didn't consider me to be a Turk. One day I'll return the same favour to someone else, I suppose." He laughed.

"So that's how you became a Turk…" Meia stood in silence, her mind was working and debating.

"Meia?"

"Yeah?"

"Your friends…" Reno sounded uncomfortable as he treaded on the sensitive topic again.

"They were like the family that I don't remember." She smiled. "They took care of me, they knew I was different, but loved me nevertheless." She stared down at the city lights. "You know, there are lots of things that I remember and know, but sometimes I still wish I knew more. Like what happened to my parents. Are they dead? I used to dream and imagine about their lives before they disappeared. Then my friends… what was going on? Is there even anyone who is to blame for all these? Was it really just an accident?"

Reno felt bad for asking, and oddly uncomfortable. Meia was always jovial and child-like in his eyes. He was taken aback at the words that seemed uncharacteristic of Meia to say. "I'm… I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe… maybe it's better not to know sometimes huh? With your memory like that, it's hard to forget, isn't it?" He tried to comfort her.

She gazed at him, her hazel eyes were unusually soft. "I never forget." She said sadly.

Years later, Reno will admit that it was an act of impulse, but he wrapped his arms around the girl, holding her against his chest tightly.

"… Brother Reno?" She stammered slightly, her body was rigid because she never had such physical contact.

"… Meia." His voice was different. It was not the usual jovial tone, nor the skeptical tone that matched his thoughts of the world. "Meia, if you need me, I'll be your family. You can be mine. The Turks will be your family and you never need to worry about the family that you don't remember. We aren't exactly close and buddy, but we get by. The Turks are the closest things I have to a family, that's for sure." He pressed his face against her hair.

Meia knew that his request was not only for her sake, but his. She nodded, her hand awkwardly patting the back of the lanky Turk. "Okay, we'll be family now."

Reno was not done. "It's just that… being a Turk isn't all fun and games, all flowers and birds ya? If we have to do something, we have to do it, no matter what. Against our own morals, we have to do it. Sometimes I feel that I've lost all my morals for Shinra's benefit, in exchange for the power to do whatever we want."

Meia listened to him with bated breath. She already felt overwhelmed when he hugged her, now she didn't know what to make of his sudden outburst.

He was silent for a few minutes. He pressed his cheek against her head, peering over her head to stare at the streetlights. "You know… Shinra, being a power figure in the Planet, having created this city scene below, is just like a God. Everyone of us who is in Shinra has powers and authority that makes us like gods… Sometimes I come to the helipad to look at the city view. But whenever I'm here, and I look down at the city below, I often think to myself that if this is what a God is…" His voice wavered ever so slightly. "Then being a God must be pretty lonely."

Before he could continue, he felt a pair of small arms wrap around him, slowly but firmly. "No, Brother Reno…" Meia said into his chest. "You're not alone. Everyone is here feeling the same way as you… and you have me now, isn't it?" She buried her head into his chest, the smell of fresh laundry (despite his untidy attire) was now etched strongly in her mind.

Reno was startled at her sudden embrace, but it gave way to an unusually warm smile. "Thank you, Little Meia. I'm not alone, as long as you're with me."

She looked up to smile at him, but she then commented. "Do you know you have the nicest blue eyes ever?"

"Really?" Replied Reno, a little embarrassed. "I always thought my eyes were kinda dull."

Meia nodded. "They are! I mean, compared to Sister Alana's bright blue eyes, yours aren't bright!" She grinned. "But… but I like yours." She looked at them again. His eyes were of a muted turquoise, but in the dark of the night, it looked grey. "Yours look-"

The sound of Reno's cell phone interrupted whatever Meia was going to say. Reno flipped his phone open. "Yo."

"Where are you and Meia?" Cissnei's voice was heard over the phone. "I couldn't find her in her room!"

"She's still with me." Replied Reno, with a slilghtly embarrassed air. "I'll bring her down now." He flipped the phone shut. "Cissnei is looking for you, probably to give you more clothes to wear." He looked at her. "Do you need gil to buy other personal stuff? You won't get salary till the end of the month, isn't it?

"Yeah…"

"I'll get Cissnei to bring you out tomorrow, if you can spare the time." Reno nodded as he mulled over the idea. "With the time to train and all, surely you can afford 2 hours to the pharmacy."

Meia nodded. "I would like that, just that I don't have any gil…"

"I'll lend you." Reno answered casually. "I don't really do much with my gil except to drink."

"Okay Brother Reno." She smiled brightly, the moon lending its soft light to shine on her face. "… Thanks for bringing me up here. It's a beautiful place." She gazed down the parapet again, watching the myriad of lights below.

"No problem, kiddo."

He then unwrapped his arms around her. In the entire conversation, including Reno's phone conversation with Cissnei, his arms were around Meia and hers around him. Neither of them felt awkward in each other's presence and embrace.

* * *

><p>Hi all, I hope you've read the changes I've made to the first four chapters! I realized I'm uploading pretty slowly hehe. I hope I'm not making you lose your interest yet! I do want to take the story nice and slow, like what I told The Writing Artist, my story is like Chinese cuisine. It takes a painfully long time to brew the story perfect for you readers. Please have patience, I promise that I'll do my best to ensure your patience is not in vain ^^<p> 


	7. Tests

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 7 – Tests**

The first few health checks done were pretty standard. Height (5 feet 2 inches), weight (she was very underweight), allergy tests, blood tests, urine tests… At the end of the hour Meia's left arm was a little sore from the needles. She wasn't afraid of them, an unusual trait for a child. She sat patiently throughout her health checks and answered the questions as truthfully as she can.

"Oh Meia?" The doctor called after her as she was about to leave the clinic. Professor Timothy has requested you to meet him at Training Room 49 for a while. It's part of observing you, Mr. Veld's orders."

Meia nodded although she didn't know who Professor Timothy was. She took the elevator up to Floor 49, the SOLDIER Floor. She didn't have her identification card yet, but Reno has lent his to her, since he would be in the office trying to finish up the paperwork from last night.

The lift doors opened to the familiar sight of the SOLDIER floor, but this time, it wasn't empty. There were about six guys, all SOLDIER Third Class, talking to each other at the lift lobby, and all of them turned around to stare at her.

"May I help you, little girl?" One of them approached her. She shook her head, saying that she needed to report to Training Room 49. "Oh Training Room 49? It's right over there." He pointed to the left of the corridor. Meia narrowed her eyes. The training room was on the right. Her memory never failed her. The training room was on the right, although going left would loop around the training room eventually.

She realized that she was faced with a little problem. She could turn left to make a detour to the Training Room and give the SOLDIERS a good time at their attempt to bully her, or she could insist on the right and make an enemy out of SOLDIER on her very first official day in Shinra.

Her mind started working again, thinking of endless possibilities to find the most peaceable way to deal with the problem when another SOLDIER approached them.

"Ah Kunsel!" They all looked nervous, their faces a little embarrassed that their little joke was soon to be exposed.

The 2nd Class SOLDIER named Kunsel turned to Meia. "Where are you headed to?"

"Training Room 49." She replied, her heart relaxing a little. He was slender and the helmet he wore obscured his face.

"The corridor on the right." He pointed. Meia thanked him and hastily made her way down the corridor before anything else happened. Before she was out of earshot she heard Kunsel say, "Seriously? Bullying a little girl?"

"It was just a little joke… lighten up!"

Meia shook her head in disgust. Her first encounter with SOLDIER and they seemed no better than the hooligans in Sector 4.

* * *

><p>"Professor Timothy?" Meia asked as she entered the Training Room.<p>

"Meia, is it?" She nodded at the professor. He was a tall, blonde scientist with a crew cut hairstyle. "I'm glad that you managed to find your way here. Take a seat." She saw a stool near the glass window and sat on it. "Well… Veld has written a short report stating of your special condition, and has kindly requested me to run a few tests to see just how good your memory is. Is that fine?"

"Of course!" She beamed.

"Well then… enter the room through the glass door and I'll give you further instructions."

As Meia entered the room, by reflex her eyes started taking in the detail of the grey, metallic room. When she peered in yesterday, this room was exactly how it was like now. She simply couldn't comprehend how the room was special.

"Now Meia, can you hear me?" Timothy asked through the intercom.

"Yes Professor Timothy!" She waved at the one way mirror excitedly.

She heard him chuckle. "Put on the goggles I gave you."

Meia stared at the piece of black device in her hand, given to her by Timothy earlier on. She gingerly placed it over her head. Her view was obstructed and pitch black, but the headgear was not uncomfortable. If anything, she could barely feel the goggles.

Timothy was speaking again. "I'll simulate some places for you, observe and behave how you normally would, is that alright?"

Meia nodded. "But how-"

Her question was interrupted as the room began to morph into a vast field of flowers.

"Flowers!" She cried out in ecstasy. She has never seen flowers of such multitude. _Isn't it all just a simulation? Then… why am I able to touch and smell as well? _She caressed the petals gently. Suddenly, the room shifted again, and it was the beach. The room changed into different scenes for another 3 more times, with each environment more abstract and detailed than the previous. Meia's mind kicked into overdrive as her eyes hungrily drank in the beautiful environments.

The surreal dreamworld lasted for only 2 minutes, barely over 15 seconds per 'world'. As the room morphed back into the grey metallic room, she sat on the floor.

"Meia!" Professor Timothy's voice sounded over the system, his voice was concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" She dizzily pulled off her goggles and looked at the one-way mirror, where the scientist was standing. She couldn't see him, but saw only her reflection. "That was so amazing, I've never seen ANYTHING like that!" Her face was full of pure joy and was flushed from the richness of the images.

"Well…" Timothy took a few notes in his notebook. "Okay, how many flowers are there in the first world?"

"5."

"Name them all."

Meia turned to Professor Timothy. "I… I'd love to, but I don't know their names."

"Describe them all to me."

Meia gave a vivid and colourful description of roses, carnations, daffodils, daisies and water hyacinths.

"What was the man in blue doing at the beach?"

"Swimming."

Even as the questions became tougher, Meia answered them with ease, pausing once at the question "How many tiles were there on the floor?" to actually count the tiles in her head. Professor Timothy looked visibly impressed.

The next series of tests involved staring at two pictures that were the same except for alterations. Meia was to select five differences. At the last set she turned to Timothy frowning. "The last set does not have 5 differences, but 6."

"Really?" Timothy frowned. "I don't-"

"That would be me, sir." Replied a young scientist at the corner, a little embarrassed. "Wanted to see if she could spot the extra difference despite telling her there were only five."

"Looks like you're right Meia." Timothy said back into the microphone.

As the tests went on, Timothy started to see that the little girl was a little bored. She has answered every question perfectly. She did not complain that the tests were boring but her face showed it all. Timothy was about to call it a day when something struck him.

_Suppose I try something different…_

He turned to the young scientist. "Bring the SOLDIER from yesterday into the Training Room now."

* * *

><p>Meia was bored. Out of her wits. She wished she could tell the nice scientist Professor Timothy that she didn't resort to memory skills or any tactics. She simply recalled every event and viewed it as vividly as if she was back in time again.<p>

The training room was quiet for a while. She didn't want to seem like a bother so she didn't complain but sat in the centre of the room, looking for something interesting to do.

Suddenly, the glass door opened. Meia's head snapped up and she saw a tall, well-built 2nd Class SOLDIER walk in. Unlike Kunsel, he wore no helmet, showing his distinctive features. He had black hair styled in a spikey hairstyle, with two locks of hair falling in front of his face.

He squatted in front of Meia, and Meia noted (with a blush) how handsome and attractive the SOLDIER was, especially his sky blue eyes.

"Hey there," His voice was bright and cheerful. "My name is Zack. Zack Fair. What's yours?"

"Meia." She replied, her eyes smiling. "Just Meia."

"Well now, Professor Timothy said that I should come in and see if I could teach you some tricks. Wanna learn?"

Meia's face brightened like a child. "Yes, Brother Zack!"

"Alrighty!" He grinned, pulling her up. "First thing here…" he consulted the list in his hand. "Can you do a forward roll?"

* * *

><p>Reno was glad when his work was done. It was almost 4 in the afternoon. Since Meia left for her health checkup she hasn't been back since, not even for lunch. Because he gave his card to her, he was unable to travel through the floors, much less check on her.<p>

Rude and Tseng walked into the main office of the Turks. "Are you ready, Reno?" Tseng asked.

Reno didn't need to enquire what Tseng was talking about. He stood up immediately. "I've been waiting for such a long time!" He complained as they made their way to Floor 49. "Wha- Meia has been in the SOLDIER Floor? What for?" He glanced at Tseng anxiously.

"Relax. Under Veld's order she was sent to have her memory tested."

"How can I relax, Tseng?" Reno looked angry. "We all know what kind of experiments Shinra is capable of. Meia is NOT a test subject!"

"Yes, but she's not normal as well." Were Tseng's concluding words to the issue.

As the trio entered Training Room 49, Reno gave a huge sigh of relief when he saw her safe and sound. She seemed to be doing handstands with a 2nd Class SOLDIER. A _cheery _SOLDIER, if that was possible.

"Who's that slick over there?" He asked the scientist nearby.

"Greetings, Tseng, Reno, Rude. I'm Professor Timothy. That 'slick' over there is Zack Fair, 2nd Class SOLDIER, but has high potential to be a 1st Class SOLDIER. He trained under 1st Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley." The scientist replied smoothly.

"How are the tests so far?" Tseng enquired before Reno could retort something rude again.

"Superb, Mr. Tseng. Meia has shown exemplary memory skills that seem to imply that she wasn't memorizing the details by memory skills, but a simple mind recall and viewing the information as if it was replayed again in her mind. If given enough time for her to observe even a thousand items, she'll be able to recall all of them easily."

Tseng nodded. "That's good. Her memory will be a valuable resource to the Turks."

"There's more, actually."

Reno turned to Timothy, more interested now. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"It seems like Meia has an exponential learning curve."

"What does that even mean?" Reno scratched his stomach lazily.

Timothy gestured at the window, where Meia was walking around the room with Zack Fair. Both were walking on their hands. "Suppose I tell you that 10 minutes ago, Meia had no idea how to do a handstand, would you have believed?"

Tseng stared at her, "hand-walking" with ease. "I wouldn't have guessed."

"I sent Zack Fair inside to teach her a couple of things that require some time to learn. Handstands, forward and backward rolls… Let's just say that thanks to Zack Fair, Meia can fight a lot better than an hour ago."

Reno stared at the girl, his heart swelling with pride and envy. "I wish I can learn like that." He mumbled.

Rude turned to Timothy. "Is there anything that we need to worry about?"

"There is one thing… I'm sure you agree that Meia's mind is like a supercomputer, able to recall, process and learn information in a matter of minutes. However, this ability has some kind of compromise in her emotional capacity." He looked over at the window, where Meia was laughing at Zack's failed attempt to do a handstand with only one arm. "I'm sure all of you have noticed that Meia doesn't behave like a twelve-year-old. My niece is six years old now and I dare say Meia seem to behave more like a six year-old than a twelve year-old."

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "That does explain her childish manners and her extreme shyness, Professor Timothy, but she's not always like this. She occasionally portrays maturity that even a twelve year-old doesn't possess." He debated.

"Well… I'll definitely need more time with her." The scientist concluded.

"I'm not going to let you experiment her!" Reno cut in, his voice full of danger.

"Reno!" Tseng chided.

"Don't worry, I don't do unethical experiments." Timothy replied a little stiffly. Reno calmed down a little, his rod now tapping his own back like a massage stick. "My hypothesis is that Meia's childishness manifests when she's in a non-threatening environment. Once she finds herself in danger, her mind kicks in and works well enough for her to act appropriately so far. This might explain how she has been so eloquent and sure of herself, and child-like at times."

"Split-personality?" Asked Rude.

"We don't know." Timothy shrugged. "This seems to be a very minor issue though. There's something I can't really figure out. Meia lost her parents since she was three. How did she even survive 9 years in Sector 4? If she was a kid inside, there's no way she could've survived."

"She had a group of friends who were with her till three months ago." Tseng replied. "They died in the open fire between SOLDIER and the Wutai infiltration troops in Sector 4."

Timothy shook his head, knowing full well what happened recently. "A shame." He looked back at the Turks again. "Anyway, I would like to request six months of observation. By the end of May, I would be able to give a more detailed analysis of how Meia works. Also, I doubt Meia's emotional capacity will remain as a six year old. I would like to say that her EQ is more stunted than hindered. With proper nurturing, the inner child will catch up eventually. Maybe she'll be normal once she turns 15 or something." The scientist turned to Tseng. "Give her ample of opportunities to grow. Maybe a proper education to start her off and let her learn the advanced stuff on her own. She'll be speaking as well as you guys before the end of the year."

"Thank you, Professor Timothy," Tseng thanked him as Meia walked out of the Training Room. "I'll be sure to report to Veld these things."

"Brother Reno!" She cried, running into the arms of the redhead.

"Hey ya, little one!" With a heave, he swung her around. "You went missing the whole day!"

Meia laughed gaily in response, enjoying the thrill of being swung around. Tseng and Timothy exchanged glances, confirming their suspicions.

* * *

><p>I intended to upload this chapter over the weekends, but I realized that I'm so slow in uploading my story, not many readers know what the heck is up with Meia still. NOW you know properly what she's all about. Sorry for taking so long to get to the main point of her condition!<p>

Whee! Thanks to this chapter, now we know why Reno called Zack 'slick' in Crisis Core (apart from Zack's hair…)! As far as possible I want my story to fit in the compilation nicely so I'm hoping real hard that nothing earth-shaking will come my way =P

Oh, one more thing I failed to point out the other time. I know Cissnei is the youngest Turk, but obviously in my story she's not, so live with that loophole, alright? (please!) Meia is now the youngest Turk, although Cissnei is still the youngest to **join** the Turks.

A huge thank you to Tempest NightMoon for favouriting my story! Day by day I'm brewing the broth of this story, hoping that at the end of the road all of you will lean back on your chair and go 'Whew! What a mind-blowing story!' Thank you for your support so far! Feel free to ask me any questions ^^


	8. Progress

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 8 – Progress**

Within two weeks since Meia became a Turk, her activities fell into a daily routine. First, she promptly woke up at 6:30 in the morning. She then joined the Turks for breakfast at 7 (the cafeteria is open from 6 in the morning to 11 at night). Although it was not a fixed timing, somehow most of them gather at around that time, and Meia could use some company. At eight, she would report to the mini meeting room for lessons. Veld has specially arranged a Shinra executive to spend four hours teaching her how to read and write in English, and simple Mathematics. Her 'tutor' was kind and patient, but more impressed at Meia's ability to learn fast. At the end of two weeks, Meia could do basic math problems, read proficiently and wrote with the simplicity of a six year-old, an incredible progress in two weeks. The tutor had reported to Tseng that, just as how Professor Timothy had predicted, she would be eloquent enough to converse and understand without any help by the end of the year.

After lunch, Meia would go to Professor Timothy at the SOLDIER floor, where he'll spend an hour observing her and running more tests. He was increasingly impressed with her memory and learning abilities, however he found no breakthrough in his research on her brain. Many times, Timothy admitted to himself that he would like to send Meia to Professor Hojo, who would be able to do extraordinary things with her mindpower but… Timothy has become fond of Meia and didn't want her to be subject under the unethical experiments that Hojo was capable of making. Professor Hojo was still unaware of her existence, under the request (more like a threat) of the Turks, and Timothy was personally in full support of this 'request'.

Following the observation, Meia finally used the remainder of her time with the Turks in combat training. She started first with Leia, Mason and Rude. "Hand-to-hand combat is most important." Rude explained. "When the enemy disarms you, you always have your fists to defend yourself." Meia learnt simple punches, kicks and dodges. Thanks to the short lesson with Zack Fair back in the Training Room, she was more stable in her landings and she made use of backward rolls to dodge their kicks.

"Nice." Grinned Mason as she quickly recovered from the backward roll to deftly avoid another roundhouse kick from Leia. Of course, she didn't last long. She was panting heavily and sat on the floor begging for mercy before the three Turks even felt a hint of tiredness.

"Needs stamina training." Leia concluded with a small smile.

Since then, Meia woke up at 6 in the morning instead of 6:30, to have a quick run in the staff recreational room on Floor 30. The early time prevented unnecessary encounters with other people, fitting her low profile in the Turks and thus not many people in Shinra knew of her existence.

Meia tried training with KK next, with a bit of success with knives. Like what she told Tseng, she was better with her aim, having the practice when she was fending for herself in Sector 4. KK commented that her aim was "decent, but lacked strength".

Training with Reno was hard, Meia decided. It wasn't about using the Electro-Mag Rod (EMR), but Reno. Meia found it hard to concentrate with him as a teacher. One moment he's joking, the next he fought her with vigour, his face so serious it frightens her. Another moment he's complaining about how much work this was, and then he suddenly lectures her about not working hard enough. Reno's personality is like a metronome, it swings from extreme to extreme. Meia was sure that she has yet to see all facets of his personality, and wondered who the real Reno was inside. As a result, her lessons on learning the EMR failed miserably.

Haato and his katana made it no better. He was highly skilled and precise. Meia admitted that she was in awe of his skills, the way he held the katana was professional and elegant. Meia was able to understand how it works, but she had absolutely no gift in this area. Haato agreed and lamented with a charming smile that he would've looked forward to training with her more if she was able to wield the katana better.

Meia enjoyed lessons with Cissnei. She was overjoyed that she could try out Cissnei's favourite weapon, Rekka. The crimson shruiken that once attempted to take her life no longer bothered her. She learnt new things from Cissnei using the shruiken, but Cissnei admitted that she took many years to learn how to use the shruiken. Meia found out that Cissnei became a Turk when she was ten years old, the youngest Turk in the history of Shinra to join. She had been trained in combat and was competent with the shruiken well before she became a Turk. "Shruikens are hard to use, Meia." She advised. "If you insist on learning, I could help, but it will take more time to learn, as compared to the EMR or hand-to-hand combat."

"Oh, it is so hard to work with Brother Reno!" Meia exclaimed, her eyes wide with horror. Cissnei laughed, saying that she did, a few times on missions, and during their leisure sparring. Meia laughed as Cissnei recounted the many times that Reno almost messed up the missions, and the equal number of times when the mission would've failed if not for Reno's determination to get the job done.

_Again,_ Meia thought to herself. _Brother Reno's personality is so hard to read._

* * *

><p>Meia faced many challenges in that initial two weeks. Although she didn't face any threats nor hostility, she was having trouble with city life. Living in the slums did nothing to prepare her for a life above the plate, much less in Shinra. Luckily she learnt how to use the elevator when she first saw Rude using it when they first smuggled her inside. Leia taught her how to use the shower. Back in Sector 4 then, Meia only showered when necessary, in tubs of water provided by the merchants when she ran errands for them, as payment. Meia struggled not to flinch when she saw working electrical appliances. The appliances that she was used to were the 'lifeless' metal debris lying around in the slums.<p>

The sky was the hardest for her to accept, she felt so small underneath the vast expanse above her. She always instinctively curled herself up and stared at the floor. It will still take a few more times before she feels comfortable under the blue sky.

Luckily the Turks knew of her special condition and made effort to explain things to her. How elevators work… What is rain… What is a computer… How to use the coffee machine… what IS coffee. Meia learnt how to wear covered shoes, for she was always barefooted in Sector 4.

For most parts she asked Reno for help for everything. He was the one who seemed friendly enough to help, since everyone seemed tense as they often discussed about work. But there were only so many things that a girl can ask a guy. After Meia asked Reno about something extremely personal, Leia found him walking towards her, holding the bewildered Meia by hand.

"She…" Said Reno, his face reddened. "Her question… You… answer." He briskly walked off before Leia could say anything.

_Poor Reno._ She mused as she heard Meia's question. Although her mind was like a six year old, her body was growing as normal. It was definitely not something Meia can fully understand. "For… for future things relating to your body and a guy's body…" Leia said gently, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Please find the girls and not Reno."

"But…" She looked troubled. "But Brother Reno is the only person who seemed free enough to care for my stupid questions." Leia sighed but Meia was not wrong. The Turks have been cracking their heads to find any remaining Wutai troops. Veld has yet to give the order for Leto. Meia had lots to learn still, but from that event on Leia made special efforts to look out for Meia.

Her efforts weren't in vain. Soon enough, as Professor Timothy hypothesised, Meia's emotional being started growing under proper environments. Slowly, but surely.

* * *

><p>It was nearing the end of November when Tseng gave a full report of Meia's progress to Veld in his office. "In the past month, Meia had been making good progress in Shinra." He said monotonously. "In a month she's much adapted to living above the plate. Her reading and writing abilities are decent and she has started to learn algebra. She has shown great interest in both Mathematics and English, but she's better in English."<p>

"That's good." Veld commented. "I think it's safe for us to let her continue English on her own. I'll leave it to your responsibility to ensure she keeps reading. Let us not waste her good talents if she likes to read, give her all the opportunities to read."

"As for Mathematics?" Tseng inquired.

"As per normal, until she finds it boring." Veld gave a casual wave at the matter. "Give the free time from the English lessons to her, let her do whatever she wants with it."

"Pardon my nosiness, but I find it most interesting that you're paying personal interest in nurturing her education." Tseng said bluntly.

Veld's face allowed tiniest smile. "Nonsense. I did the same thing to Cissnei years ago too. Of course, that girl gave up Mathematics earlier than Meia." He lifted the cup of coffee to his lips, pausing to ask, "What of her combat lessons?"

"Less desirable than her English and Mathematics. Leia has reported that Meia is showing decent progress in hand-to-hand combat. Zack Fair did teach a considerable amount of dodge tactics to her during Professor Timothy's tests. Even though it was only one session she had with Zack Fair, she remembered everything that he taught, and she has been using it to her advantage. She is very capable of avoiding and dodging even Leia's kicks. However, her weakness lies in her lack of strength. Mason, KK, Haato and Cissnei all reported the same thing in her sessions with them. Reno reported that she seemed a little distracted… but knowing Reno, the problem may not fully lie with Meia."

Veld chuckled. "I somewhat agree. Continue."

"Cissnei strongly discourages her using the shruiken, since it takes a long time to master, even for a girl like Meia." Tseng nodded as he referred to his notes. "Haato does not recommend Meia using the katana either. KK is alright with teaching her knives, Leia has no qualms with her hand-to-hand combat skills too. Even though Reno is fine with teaching her the EMR, I personally don't want him to further burdened by the Turks' matter. He is, after all, the main execution of the Turks now."

"I understand, Tseng." Veld nodded, his hands interlocked in thought. "I agree with you as well."

"Of course, we have yet to put her through Alana, Kido and Cassie. I feel that if Meia is competent with Alana's handgun, then she'll be good with Kido. Cassie has requested that Meia does not learn the shotgun, and Meia has agreed. It seemed that they've agreed with each other about this beforehand. So I propose we place her with Alana next. Kido is still handling Leto's case, so we can afford to let Alana go first."

"Very well," Veld said, nodding. "Let it be according to your plan."

"All in all, Meia needs a lot of physical training." Tseng concluded. "But she has made a remarkable progress, no one at her age should be capable of such learning abilities."

"A very good progress indeed. She is quite the remarkable child."

"I'm sorry sir, but…" Tseng looked mightily uncomfortable as his mind debated on whether to ask the question or not.

"Speak."

"You seem to hold some thoughts about Meia. Is there anything about her that you know?"

Veld chuckled. "Sharp, aren't you? No… I don't know anything about her. She just feels familiar for some reason. As if I knew her a long time ago." The leader of the Turks stared into the distant view of Midgar, and Tseng knew that Veld was no longer in the mood to discuss further. He made his move and left the office, softly closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Cassie peered over the drawings of hairstyles. "Oooh, I'd totally go for the pigtails if I were you, Meia."<p>

Meia blushed at Cassie's compliment. "You really don't have to do this, Sister Cissnei." She said to the other Turk.

Cissnei pouted. "But when I was a Turk, I had no sisters to help me!" She wrinkled her pretty nose. "I was the _only_ girl in a room full of men, argh! I've always wanted someone to play with my hair like that." She twirled Meia's black silky hair, musing.

"Sister Cissnei's hair is very pretty without any work done on it." Meia complimented shyly as she watched Cissnei's perfect curls bounce as she moved.

"Oh gosh, you're just soooo adorable!" Cissnei half-squealed, hugging the little girl. "You make me want to do your hair everyday!"

"Petty issues." Alana snorted behind her coffee. She was seated a table away from the girls, reading the Shinra News. "Hairstyles are not important when your life is at stake." She stated firmly.

"Awwww come on!" Cassie laughed musically. "I bet you played with Elena's hair when she was younger too!"

Alana's glare was her only reply.

"Sister Alana didn't get along well with her sister?" Meia asked innocently.

Alana looked a little uncomfortable, now that the attention has shifted to her. "Well… I hold no grudges against her. She, on the other hand, seems to have a vendetta against me." She shrugged off-handedly.

"What's a ven…" Meia frowned as she struggled with the words.

"Vendetta means Elena doesn't like Alana." Cissnei explained to her gently. "But they look really alike, you'll definitely recognize Elena! She's a little younger than you, but so adorable!"

Cassie snorted. "Compared to Alana, she speaks much like a human."

Alana frowned. "I speak perfectly fine."

"Too polite for me, you should lighten up once in a while." Cissnei laughed. Alana scoffed, her face showing no signs of acknowledgement.

"Meia?" Tseng's voice was heard before he reached the pantry. He nodded at Alana. "Good, Alana is here too…" He frowned at the unusual sight. "… What are you girls doing?"

"Doing girly things!" Cissnei said at the same time when Alana said "Doing stupid things."

Cissnei giggled. "Meia's hair looks so boring, I was thinking of giving her a nice hairstyle!"

"What's up, Brother Tseng?" Meia asked, her face not affected anymore by the excessive attention from Cissnei and Cassie.

"Starting Monday, you'll report to Alana for sessions on using the handguns. Would a week suffice?" Tseng asked Alana.

"It will suffice depending on how well she learns." Alana replied, her eyes not leaving the newspaper. "I've heard a lot about your learning abilities, Meia." Her eyes peered at the girl. "I'm looking forward to see if you live up to what they say."

"Y… Yes Sister Alana!" Meia stammered, a pitch higher than usual.

Cassie laughed. "Alana! Don't give her unnecessary pressure!" She then turned to Meia, her ponytail swinging as she did. "Don't be too worried with Alana, she's just strict, but she won't harm you at all! She can be really sweet if she wants to!"

Alana drank from her coffee, ignoring the comments made of her. Meia nodded at Cassie, feeling a little more assured. She hardly had any opportunity to talk to the serious Turk, while she was a little scared of what might happen, she looked forward to training with her.

"Oh, Meia?" Tseng tried to get her attention again. "You no longer need to attend English lessons. The time that you now have, you can do whatever you want."

"Really?" She was shocked. "But… there are lots of words that I still don't know." She frowned.

"Don't worry about that." Cissnei assured her. "Read lots of books and you'll be a pro in no time. Leia has lots of books, so does Alana and KK. Borrow from them!"

"I have a couple of old books back home that I don't read anymore." Alana offered. "Elena doesn't really like the books that I read, preferring romance novels." She looked back at her newspaper, flipping over a page. "I'll bring them when I'm back from the weekends."

"Thank you Sister Alana!" Meia's face cheered up immediately.

"See?" Cassie grinned. "Alana is a softie at heart."

Ignoring the shotgun specialist's words again, Alana looked at Tseng. "How was your latest mission? You've met the Legendary Turk?"

Tseng shrugged. "Legend is as interesting a character as Veld describes. But he messed up bad this time."

"Legend?" Meia asked.

Tseng nodded. "A name he calls himself by." He answered, using as little words as possible, a characteristic that Meia eventually noticed in most Turks, especially Leia and Kido. "Used to be anti-Shinra, but works for us now. Nothing that Shinra can't do." He cleared his throat, a little conscious that he had gone off-tangent. "I was to supervise him as he kidnaps an arms dealer for Shinra, before we face a possible information leak."

"What happened?" asked Cissnei.

"Personal relationships and grudges. Apparently the arms dealer betrayed his anti-Shinra group two years ago. The arms dealer refuses to admit it to Legend. So… he left our arms dealer to die as he detonates the building."

Meia gasped. "That's horrible!"

Alana shook her head. "The bigger problem is that Legend didn't successfully kidnap the arms dealer… What's going to happen?"

"Possibly termination of contract, or execution." Tseng replied.

"How… How can you talk about killing s…" Meia trailed off as she remembered who she was talking to.

Alana stared at her. "Meia, if you cannot get over the fact that we kill in order to get our jobs done, you don't need to report to me Monday afternoon." She stood up and walked out of the pantry room. Meia hung her head in shame.

"I admit," said Tseng softly. "It'll take some time to get used to. But you better get used to this life."

Meia gazed at Tseng, her eyes sad, but full of conviction. "I understand. I work for Shinra now, if being a Turk means all these…" She pursed her lips and gulped. "I'll do as ordered."

* * *

><p>Here's a big thank you to my reviewers:<p>

Samantha Sheffield: I love Zack too, I really wished he lived =(

XXTakaraXX: Hehe, do stay tuned for more!

TWA: I hope I can fit in more FF7 characters into the story, I'll see how it goes!

Midnightcrescent27: your words encouraged me by leaps and bounds. Thank you!

MY GOSH, 4 reviews in one chapter! Whee! I feel so grateful towards you lovely people for even spending the time to comment on my story! Thank you very much!

Not forgetting: Tempest NightMoon, dragonsong93 (and others whom I may have missed out) for alerting/faving my story!

I am truly thankful for your support! Hope that my future chapters will continue to bring you joy and satisfaction.


	9. The Way of the Gun

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 9 – Way of the Gun**

Meia felt a little awkward when she saw Alana from afar in the cafeteria on Monday morning. After that threat from Alana, Meia didn't see her again, since Alana went home for the weekends. She was determined to be a capable Turk, but she wasn't so sure if Alana still wanted to teach her in the afternoon.

"Why so glum, Little Meia?" Reno nudged her from the back.

Meia beamed at the sight of the grinning Turk. "Brother Reno!" She greeted cheerfully.

Reno took a step back, examining Meia's new hair. It was tied into two buns, with wisps of hair unintentionally escaping the bun. Somehow the childish look fit Meia perfectly. "Your hair looks nice today!" Reno tugged the wisps of hair playfully.

She blushed, but her smile remained. "Thank you Brother Reno!" She grinned. "Sister Cissnei did the hair for me!"

"Not bad, that Cissnei." Reno commented. He suddenly leaned forward and wiped at something near her eye. "Eye booger." He grinned as he wiped his hand off his pants.

"Eeew gross, Reno!" Meia exclaimed, horrified. The only times she ever dropped the term "Brother" in front of Reno's name was when she's annoyed or disgusted with him, like now. "You could've just told me instead of doing it for me!"

"Reno~" Cissnei cooed as she walked by. "I've got an eye booger, would you take it out for me?" She asked in a mock saccharine voice.

"Go to hell, Cissnei!" Reno shouted, his hand clamping over his mouth as he realized Meia was still standing there. "Meia… that-"

"Is a bad word that I shouldn't say till I'm 16, right Brother Reno?" Meia grinned. "Same old, same old." She waved casually. "I'm going to get breakfast." She walked off.

"Catch ya later, little one!" He called behind her.

Cissnei was still standing behind Reno as he watched her go. "Seriously, Reno?" She asked, her voice skeptical. "You wiped eye booger off her?" She shook her head. "If you show love to people in that way, _please_ don't love me at all."

"Shut up, Cissnei." Reno grunted, his eyes narrowing. "Meia is like a sister to me."

"Reno," Cissnei shook her head as she flipped her hair off her shoulder. "I've never seen you like this. What's with you?"

Reno shook his head in utter confusion. "I swear, I don't know what you are talking about."

"You spend all your free time with her, you buy things for her, you can't stop talking about her…" The female redhead listed off using her fingers. "If she was a little older, I'll say you love her romantically." She ended with a slight dramatic tone in her conclusion, pointing a finger at Reno's forehead playfully.

"That's why I say you're nuts." Reno argued, swiping her hand off his head. "She's 12, for goodness' sakes!"

"5 years doesn't make a difference when you're older… trust me." She walked off, her curly hair bouncing against her hair.

"Trust me." Reno mimicked her with half-disgust. "You're only fifteen! So what if you're a Turk since 10? I have hell more experience!" But Cissnei was already out of earshot.

Meia watched the conversation with Reno and Cissnei from afar. She was unable to hear what they were talking about, but they seemed to be having fun. She subconsciously clutched her chest and wondered why her chest felt so uncomfortable.

"Meia." Behind her, Alana's voice was crisp and clear.

The girl turned around and smiled at Alana. "Sister Alana!" She hastily released the grip she had over her heart. "Good morning!"

"Here." The gun user passed her a huge paper bag. "I hope you like adventure stories and encyclopedias." She said. "You can start off with 'The Silver Chocobo' or 'Materia: A Kid's Guide'. I read that when I was your age, it's easier to understand. After that you can try 'The Cetra Mystery'." She suddenly stopped herself, realizing that she was talking endlessly.

Opening the paper bag, Meia found six books inside. They were fairly thick paperbacks. "Thank you Sister Alana!" She thanked the gun user, her eyes were shining. "I'll be sure to read them after breakfast!"

Alana was once again startled by Meia's enthusiasm. "Well, that's all the books I have with me now." She replied, a little awkward at the warmth exuding from the little girl. "Keep the books, I doubt I'll need them." She waved as she turned around to head towards the door. "I'll see you at three in the Turk's training room today."

Alana didn't see Meia's expression as she left, so she'll never know that Meia was more thrilled to hear those words than anything else today.

* * *

><p>The Turks' Training Room was not as extravagant as Training Room 49, but it was fully equipped with all the equipment needed for combat. The windows were two-way windows, but bullet proof. An equipment booth was situated at the corner, with a kiosk that facilitates the borrowing and returning of Shinra equipment.<p>

Meia peered into the training room, her heart was pounding. "Sister Alana?" She asked tentatively. She saw Alana standing in the range room, separating the room by bulletproof walls.

"Over here." The blonde waved her over. She was standing behind a demarcated line. Ten metres away, a target hung over the softboard-covered wall. As Meia reached Alana, she promptly held out a six-barreled pistol and plastic goggles to Meia. She first took the goggles and wore it over her head. Then Meia took the dubious gun gingerly, the rubber grip firm in her hand. "Stand behind the line, and aim for the centre." Alana explained simply.

The girl stared at the gun in her hand, and back at Alana. "… Can you do a demonstration, Sister Alana?" She asked meekly.

The blonde's face gave way to a smirk. "I'm not going to demonstrate how to use the gun. I know you learn by observation." Meia flushed at her refusal. "There are some things in this world that you don't learn by observation, but self-discovery. No," Alana shook her head. "I'll guide you, but you'll have to learn how to do this yourself."

Meia nodded, her face now full of uncertainty. "Okay." She tried to say it confidently, but her quavering voice failed her.

"First, stand in a position that you're comfortable with." After a few attempts, Meia settled down with standing with her feet wide apart, directly facing the target. Alana did not make any attempt to correct Meia's position. "Which is your master hand?"

"My what?"

"The hand that you write with."

"Oh… my right hand." Meia lifted the gun that was in her right hand.

"Go ahead, just point at the target, and pull the trigger." Alana gestured at the target. She pulled the goggles over her own eyes and stood at a corner.

Meia lifted the gun in her hand. "How do you even hold a gun…" She murmured to herself. By reflex, her brain kicked in, sifting through the 9 years of experience in her life that were possibly related to guns.

From the corner, Alana observed Meia's behaviour. For a while, the girl stared at the gun, murmuring to herself. She saw Meia trying various ways to hold the gun, and inwardly admitted that her heart almost stopped when she saw her grabbing the gun by its barrel. After a few tries, Meia found the correct way to hold a gun. Her fingers travelled across the shiny metal of the firearm, it was obvious that Meia has never seen a gun closeup before. Just before Alana was about to give up and teach her properly on how to even hold a gun, Meia lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.

_BANG!_

The bullet hit the bulletproof glass pane and ricocheted across the lane. The tremor that the gun made shocked Meia, dropping the gun onto the ground.

"Your aim is terrible." Alana's scornful voice came from the corner.

Picking up the gun, Meia tried again. The bullet once more hit the bulletproof glass pane and the gun jerked off, falling onto the ground. She was getting frustrated, for she has never learnt things in this manner. She was extremely confused, likened to one wandering in the desert with no clue of where the destination laid. Yet, out of fear that Alana will give up on her, she dutifully picked up the gun again.

_Think Meia!_ The brain was now in control. Her face slowly lost the childlike demeanor, replaced by a calm and composed expression. _What is wrong with your shooting?_

_If only my hand stops jerking every time I pull the trigger._

She frowned, trying to steady her hand at the target. _Don't jerk… don't jerk… _She subconsciously commanded her right hand.

_BANG!_

With the conscious effort to steady the gun, her arm jerked less, but the bullet hit the glass pane anyway. By the end of six bullets, her arm was a little sore, but she managed to have two bullets not hit the glass pane.

"Do you have any questions so far?" Alana suggested as she reloaded the gun.

_Tons._ Meia thought, glancing at Alana. "Can… can I use two hands to shoot?" She asked meekly.

"Of course, you silly girl." Alana rolled her eyes. "No one can shoot with one hand in the beginning, your hand is not strong enough to steady the tremor after you shoot. That's why your hand is sore now." She grinned.

"You could've just told me." Meia grumbled.

"But now that you figured it out yourself… isn't that more rewarding?"

Meia hated to admit it, but it did feel good to discover it herself. The girl nodded as she took the gun again. "Is my posture wrong?"

Alana's pretty face gave way to a rare smile. "Figure it out yourself."

* * *

><p>When Tseng came in at four in the afternoon, he stood at the back of the range room, not entering it, observing the girl with the gun. All childishness was not found on her face, and Tseng noticed how incredibly relaxed she was. If what Timothy said was right, then Meia must be under a stressful environment and the brain was now controlling the body to react. Alana was a superb teacher, believing that 'teaching is best when the student seeks the knowledge himself'. <em>And Meia is flourishing much better under Alana than under the rest of them.<em> The Turk smiled to himself.

_BANG!_

The final bullet hit the softboard wall, missing the target board by two inches.

"Well done." Tseng heard Alana say softly. "You learn very quickly."

"Really?" Meia grimaced. "But I didn't hit the target at all."

"Your progress is better. It's not the result, but the process." Alana took the gun from the girl and pocketed it in its holster.

Meia smiled with what Tseng would label 'the childish smile'. "Thank you Sister Alana! I'll work hard in using the gun!"

Alana glanced at her watch, indicating that it was almost four-thirty. "My session is over. Go and do whatever you please."

The girl beamed, her hazel eyes twinkled with relief and joy. "I'll see you at dinner then!" She ran out of the range room and right into Tseng.

"Whoa…" Tseng steadied the active girl. "Watch your step."

"Hehe," She grinned sheepishly. "I'm going to be reading in the lounge if you need me!" She picked up her pace and ran out of the training room again.

"… She seemed unusually cheerful." He remarked.

Alana walked out of the range room, removing her bulletproof vest as she spoke. "She's much better than I thought." She commented. "When… When she started thinking critically, you can see it in her facial expressions." She shook her head. "Those ten seconds where she just allows her mind to take over is too long, our enemies can take advantage of that."

"I know." Tseng nodded. "Nevertheless, she is truly an interesting girl… and her intelligence is fully developed like an adult. She might be a valuable asset to the Turks."

"Interested in her?" Alana smirked. "She's all Reno's, you know. Any idiot can see it in his eyes."

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "You know that I'm not looking for a relationship."

Alana grinned. "I'm sure…" She paused at the rack where she kept the gun and the bulletproof vests. "My sister talks a lot about you, by the way."

The Wutaian snorted. "She's only 10, Alana. And she's only met me twice."

The blonde shrugged. "I'm not making implications, Tseng. I also don't want my 10 year old sister hankering with a man ten years older than her. I'm just… making conversation."

Tseng snorted as he followed her out of the range room. "The ever serious, polite and strict Alana… making conversations on her own accord. That's a first."

"Please speak for yourself." Was her polite reply.

* * *

><p>I'm going to try and make Alana's speech more polite and formal, although she drips sarcasm and seriousness at times.<p>

I took the term EMR from Samantha Sheffield. I don't know where else it's used, but I'm sure not going to keep typing electro-mag rod =P

Thank you all once again for alerting my story! Aoi Kazuya, Tani Cullen… Your support is not neglected!

**Review replies** **(just a few comments so that all my readers are on the same field):**

XXTakaraXX: Yes, Alana is a little strict (don't want everyone to love the protagonist, ya?). She plays a nice contrast to the rest of the Turks and I'm still deciding if I want to keep her that way.

Midnightcrescent27: the question that Meia asked Reno was something personal about the girl anatomy, not appropriate for Reno to answer. He's only 17, after all ;P

TWA: Thanks for your review, I'll be extra cautious when writing Cissnei!

So far so good, hopefully? =)


	10. Dreams

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 10 – Dreams **

Alana was a strict teacher, but a competent one nevertheless. Meia learnt how to use a gun fairly well with simple yet effective guidance from Alana. Despite the tough training with the strict mentor, Meia grew to like using the gun. With Reno accompanying her, she scoured through hours in the Shinra General Library (Floor 25), learning more about the handgun. Without the information readily given by Alana, Meia sought to discover how to use the gun using her own methods. Her aim was improving, although much slower than she would've liked. She began to hit the target boards well, occasionally hitting the bull's eye.

It was the last day of her week with Alana when Alana said. "Today I shall show you how I shoot." Meia's face brightened, but she quickly prepared her mind to absorb what was in front of her.

The gun user poised herself with her right foot in front of her left, body slightly slanted. She lifted the gun straight at the target and (Meia noticed) pulled the trigger as she breathed out. The bullet hit bull's eye, as if Alana had the power to direct its path. Everything that Alana did was done with gracefulness and elegance.

Meia's mind began to analyse the differences in her own shooting and Alana's. Some habits that Meia adapted (through pure trial and error) allowed her to use the gun fairly well, but it was through observation that her gunning skills began to improve again. In the remaining hour, Meia was much confident in shooting, having whatever that she learnt confirmed and edified by Alana. Alana began to explicitly guide her in some mistakes and at the end of the session, even Alana gave a small smile, patting the girl's head gently.

Tseng approached her on Saturday morning, informing her that Alana was pleased with her abilities and if Meia wished, she could try to specialize in the hand gun. Meia smiled widely, glad that her hard work paid off.

Although Meia enjoyed every day of being in Shinra, she always looked forward to night. It is at night, when she sleeps, that she dreams of the very people she wishes to see…

* * *

><p>"Meia… Meia?" The girl opened her eyes. The hazel eyes met blue ones. She squinted at the silhouette hovering over her, against the sun. "Wake up, you sleepy-head!" Her eyesight focused to a boy of 13. He was tall and slender, with blonde hair sporting his tanned face. His eyes were blue and they sparkled with mischief.<p>

Meia smiled, much glad to see him. "I'm not a sleepy-head, Sunny!" She propped herself up and stared at the blue-eyed boy.

Sunny smiled. "It's BROTHER Sunny, you rude child!" He grinned mischievously. "Time to get your manners right! Anyway, it's noon! We have an errand to run, remember?" He pulled her up onto her feet, his hand was warm, as if it was baked in the sun for hours. "Time to go and look for chickens for Mr. Dexter!"

"Where's Tihan (A/N: pronounced as tee-ahn, like milk **tea** and **un**cle. The 'h' is silent.) and Carmelle?" She asked, brushing her long fringe to the back of her head.

"They're in the Wall Market already." Sunny cocked his head over the direction of Sector 5.

They walked towards Sector 5, chatting animatedly about what they would do after finding chickens for Mr. Dexter. Meia looked up at the bright sun and inhaled the fresh air.

_Wait… there is no sky in Sector 4._

Meia woke up with a start, her heart was beating against her chest rapidly. _Another dream that ended prematurely. _She thought to herself, her heart was still aching at the vivid sight of the tanned boy. She has been encountering dreams of her childhood friends ever since she entered Shinra. In all her dreams, the events that happened… DID happen years ago. But she liked the dream more because Sector 4 was bright and sunny. There were flowers and it rained occasionally. But she missed the reality more because… _because at least they were still alive._

_Sunny, Tihan, Carmelle… _Her tears fell silently and made wet spots onto the pillow. Meia closed her eyes tightly, squeezing out the remaining tears. She then forced herself to go back to sleep… to find out if she did manage to catch chickens with Sunny.

* * *

><p>"Meia… Meia?" Meia groaned as she struggled to respond. "Wake up, you sleepy-head!"<p>

"Sunny…" She held out her hands to grab him, not wanting to let go. She buried herself in his arms. He smelled of fresh laundry.

"What are you yabbering about, yo?"

Her eyes flew wide, her arms instantly releasing whatever that she was clinging onto. As her tired eyes focused, she saw flaming red hair and the confused face of Reno. He was sitting next to her on her bed.

"B… Brother Reno!" She stammered, feeling conscious now. "What are you doing in my room?"

"It's seven-thirty, little girl!" He grinned, messing up her hair. "Tseng wants to see us in half an hour's time. Thought I should look for you, since I didn't see you at all at breakfast today."

She sprang out of bed in an instant. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be," Reno replied with a drawl as he waved casually. "If I were half as apologetic as you in my punctuality, I would be second in-command, not Tseng. See ya later!" He stood up and walked towards the door. He paused, his hand rested on the doorknob, but whatever he wanted to do, he decided against it and walked out of the door.

* * *

><p>The exclusive Turk's lounge in Floor 56 is tastefully designed to look sleek and professional. Black carpeted floors, red sofas and armchairs with navy blue cushions, the large room speaks of simplicity and elegance. Yet, the sofas are incredibly soft to sit on. Often, one can catch an exhausted Turk taking a quick nap but no one objected because it is an unwritten culture to allow napping in the lounge. However, whenever Veld is on Floor 56, the Turks will always first check the lounge to awake any napping Turks. The coffee machine situated at the back of the lounge is not desolate either, used frequently for a quick pick-me-up.<p>

When Meia reached the Turk's lounge with a piece of bread and a cup of chocolate milk (her new favorite), the others were waiting for her. Apologizing profusely, she found an empty seat next to Mason and sat down. Cissnei smiled at her warmly from across the room, and Meia nodded back beaming. Although friendly and very caring, apart from random spurts of talkativeness, Cissnei usually chose to remain quiet, though not as quiet as Rude.

"Not like you to be late, Meia." Mason grinned, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yeah…" She replied sheepishly. "I kinda overslept."

"Thank you all for being on time for this short meeting." Tseng started before Mason could say any further. "I would like to start off our meeting first with an update on the Wutai War. As you know, Shinra and Wutai have been fighting for years on rights to build a Mako Reactor. Shinra has won the war back in 1992, however there have been many resistance groups trying to invade and hinder our plans."

"7 years…" muttered Cassie. "Has it been that long?"

"Yes, it has. Way before most of us are in the Turks." Commented Tseng solemnly. "Now we have full-frontal attacks from Wutai, spies... Who knows what else could Wutai be planning now. I urge you men (and women) to be more cautious and alert me as soon as you see anything suspicious."

"Yes sir." Acknowledged Rude.

"Meia, here is your PHS." Tseng passed to Meia a flip cellphone. Seeing her stare at the cellphone questioning, he decided to answer her un-asked question. "It's a cellphone. You can use it to call your party allies, edit your party, manage your missions and material equipment. Reno?"

"Alright boss." Grinned the cheeky Turk, knowing well what Tseng wanted to say.

Tseng confirmed his response by nodding. "On to a lighter note," He continued. "President Shinra has decided that there will be a Christmas party for the employees, during Christmas Eve. All employees are required to attend."

There was a very loud groan from Leia. She buried her face into her hands, shaking her head in disgust.

"I know that it's all publicity, Leia," Reno patted the martial artist's back. "But we gotta get some love from the public once in a while, isn't it? Show the world that Shinra is all caring and loving to have a party!"

"Pardon my response." Leia said to Tseng with slight embarrassment. "It's just that parties are not my cup of tea."

"It's not any of ours actually." Agreed Alana. "But if it's an order from the President, we should do our best to show a good side of Shinra."

Haato whistled, swinging his legs on the armrests of the armchair to sit sideways. "Time to see something from you girls apart from suits!" Leia flushed, but she was seated too far away to give Haato a good bashing.

Kido cleared his throat. "Is there a need for us to be cautious?" He asked Tseng. "Even though we're not facing blatant threats from the Wutai troops…"

Tseng sighed. "Precisely what I thought. But let us not argue over petty motives and let us be cautious. Even though SOLDIERS and Shinra employees will be having lots of fun, we must be extra alert."

"Yes sir!" Chorused the Turks.

The sub-leader of the Turks nodded. "That's all I have for you. Thank you." The Turks stood up and discussed at length the future plans and also the Christmas party.

"Looks like I got to call my parents to tell them of my new plans…" Muttered Cassie as she flipped open her phone.

"Oh, one more thing!"

"What is it, Tseng?" Asked Mason, already halfway out of the door.

"Please find yourself a partner. It is a formal event, after all. It would be best."

Now the male Turks groaned at the thought of restrictive tuxedoes and shoes.

* * *

><p>Meia was in an open grass field, lying down and facing the sky.<p>

"Hey…" A female voice spoke beside her ear. "Have you ever thought… suppose… suppose our lives are not like this… we're not homeless and parentless children… what do you think our lives would be like?"

"What are you saying Carmelle?" As Meia looked up, she saw a nine year-old boy with chocolate brown hair and matching soulful eyes sat up from where he was lying and looked at her.

"I'm just saying, Tihan, _what if_we don't have the lives we have now… and we can do whatever we can to our lives… what would you do? What dreams do you have?" The strawberry blonde with purplish blue eyes explained. From the corner of her eye, Meia could see Carmelle's hands gesturing as she spoke.

"I don't know about you," Sunny grinned at the sun above, he was lying down with them on the grass as well. "But if I ever have the chance, I want to be in SOLDIER. The things that they do are so cool! Maybe I can be as strong as Sephiroth!"

Carmelle laughed. "I'm sure you'll be a great SOLDIER, Sunny!" Meia smiled to herself. She knows that Carmelle has a crush on Sunny, she still does.

Tihan laid back onto the grass and Meia felt his head knocking gently on hers as his head lowered onto the ground. "Well… I want to open a shop in Wall Market." His voice was humbled. "I'll want to make interesting toys and sell them cheap to kids that are homeless like us."

Meia could hear Sunny patting Tihan's side (he couldn't pat Tihan's shoulder since they were all lying down). "That's a pretty good dream actually! Your creative repairing skills will help the children in the slums!"

"But… but I'm not too sure if I have what it takes…" The shy boy muttered.

Meia reached behind to give Tihan a playful tap on his forehead. "Silly Tihan!" She giggled. "You are a genius in toy making! Who was the one who made me a toy bird out of the metal around the slums?" Carmelle agreed as well and Tihan chuckled in humility. Sunny then asked Carmelle what she wanted to do if she had the power to fulfill her dreams.

"I want to open an orphanage and adopt the homeless kids in Sector 4." Her tone was serious, as if she spent many opportunities to ponder and consider the options. "I… I don't want any more kids to suffer the same way as we did."

Meia looked away, her heart was heavy. Homeless children in the slums may be carefree, but the underline truth was still that they didn't have a family to belong, to go home to. _It… it would be nice to have an 'orfanage' like that too._ Thought the ten-year old Meia. Carmelle was the motherly figure among the four of them, Meia always felt close to Carmelle, despite her nagginess.

"Don't be silly Carmelle!" It was Sunny's turn to tap Carmelle on the forehead. "You've got a family! You've got us, isn't it?"

Meia turned over to lie on her stomach. She grinned at Sunny. "That's right, Sunny!" She smiled at Carmelle. "You have us, and we won't be separated no matter what!"

Tihan turned over to lie on his stomach too. "We all may be born into different families, but now when we have no one else, we have each other."

Carmelle smiled, breaking into a soft look. "That's right."

They laid back and stared up at the blue sky again, when Tihan asked.

"What about you Meia?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Carmelle turned over to prod the little girl's tummy.

Meia sat up quickly, her face breaking into a wide smile.

"I want to be a Turk!"

* * *

><p>Meia woke up, but her heart was not pounding like it did last time. She simply woke up naturally. It had been almost a week since the meeting in the lounge, but her dreams were still vivid and fresh, as if she was really in the dreamworld herself. She smiled to herself with nostalgia of the years before.<p>

"'I want to be a Turk'… huh."

The only thing she ever knew about the Turks was Vincent Valentine. She doesn't know how he looked like, or how she'd gotten that information from. She knew about Valentine from the moment she was aware of her surroundings, kind of like an instinctive knowing of how to breathe or walk. Apparently Vincent Valentine has disappeared a long time ago (Brother Rude told her). She was even more confused as to the mysterious Turk that affected her life now.

She did want to be a Turk. She always saw Vincent Valentine like a spy, or some sort of secret agent. _Being a spy sounds so cool. _She used to think that to herself when she was a lot younger. Sunny would tap her head saying that if she really wants to be a good spy she would need to brush up on her combat skills, if not she'll 'be mauled by a Behemoth before you even know what's happening'.

Being a Turk was not an easy job. She was surprised that she had survived almost a month in Shinra. For someone who knew nothing about city life, nothing about fighting… She was doing a good job. Of course it wasn't as if Meia was some fighting genius. _If not for everyone who bothered to help me… who knows how I would turn out now? _She mused. Also, she was hardworking in her daily jogging and stamina training. It wouldn't be possible if Meia did not do anything. But she did, and she has been successful being a Turk in Shinra.

_Being a Turk…_

_I… I did it._ She breathed out in surprise, as if only realizing it now. _I've become a Turk. If only Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle sees me now… They'll be so miffed that I fulfilled my dream before they did._

The alarm clock in her PHS rang, indicating that it was time for her daily jog at Floor 30th's gym.

_But… but things have changed._ She thought to herself sadly as she stepped out of her warm bed and onto the cold wooden floor. _My dream now is that I wish I can be with Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle forever._

* * *

><p>Wahaha, can you tell what the kids are doing? They're lying down on the grass, heads touching each other and staring up at the sky. Did I manage to pull out that imagery from you? Please let me know in your review! =P<p>

I know that in the previous chapter I made Cissnei a little too chirpy, thanks to TWA who pointed that out, now I need to reconstruct my writing of Cissnei. Therefore, I painfully plead you to forget the chirpy Cissnei you saw in Chapter 9 and remember that **Cissnei is a nice, caring and friendly person, but hardly loses her cool. I won't make her extra quiet (Rude is extra quiet, Kido is extra quiet. But not Cissnei!), just… more reserved. She is a little bit of a playful girl,** **choosing to show it only at her discretion. **While THAT can explain her OOC-ness in the previous chapter, this is my interpretation of Cissnei and I sure hope that she (and the other characters) won't be painfully OOC in the future chapters =)

Chapters are going to be uploaded a LITTLE more frequently, because I'm very very much ahead of schedule. As I'm uploading this I'm actually writing Chapter 15 and it's not very good to be THAT far ahead so I'm going to upload a little faster… get the preliminary chapters out so that we can jump straight into the juicy bit!

Also, I apologise if I didn't respond to your reviews recently. I'm practicing for my dance performance in August and I'm really tired. Also, I've been addicted to Final Fantasy 13, my friend lent it to me for a week =)

Do read and review!


	11. Kunsel and Reno

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Thestory has (finally!) started to kick into gear… like an old cranked up manual car… we're going first gear! Yes… what I mean is I'm finally starting to go into the first story arc. There will be NUMEROUS story arcs, overlapping each other possibly. But at least the preliminaries are almost all done!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Kunsel and Reno<strong>

_Ding!_

The elevator doors opened to reveal a dark room. Meia, who visited the gym regularly during such early hours, walked across the room confidently, where the switch was. With a flick, the lights came on and the gym machines murmured as the electricity gave them life. Her mind was flashing scenes of her dream earlier on. The images were so vivid and crystal-clear, she could almost smell the fresh scent of grass and the slight perspiration smell from Sunny and Tihan.

The memory ached her so badly, she thought she could throw up. Meia took a deep breath to calm her thoughts. Sometimes she does that when her mind goes berserk from the influx of thoughts. Feeling better, Meia sighed and stepped onto the treadmill, punching in the necessary settings to start her daily jog. She guessed that she never had the chance to move on from their deaths. _Focus on running the thoughts out._ She ordered herself.

So furiously jogging was she that she failed to notice the presence of someone else in the gym. "Excuse me?" The voice woke Meia from her reverie. With a small scream, she slid off the treadmill, almost falling flat onto the floor. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry I frightened you!" The voice said anxiously.

Steadying her step, Meia whipped her head towards the owner of the voice. She saw a SOLDIER 2nd Class with chocolate brown hair, styled similar to Tihan.

"Ti…" But Meia stopped herself. The last time she did that she made a horrible mistake of seeing Reno as Sunny. She peered closer. On closer inspection, she realized that the SOLDIER's eyes were blue, just like Zack, though not as bright a blue. _Definitely not Tihan. _She told herself, even though she knew she didn't need to make that conclusion.

"Are you alright?" The SOLDIER asked again, his voice was familiar, though she couldn't be sure. Photographic memory did not guarantee the same super memory in auditory aspects, after all.

Meia mumbled as she got up. "Yeah, I'm good. I was… thinking of other things." She frowned at the sudden appearance of the SOLDIER. She was trying to keep a low profile, and running into random Shinra employees was definitely not according to plan.

"I'm Kunsel, pleased to meet you." The brunette stretched out his hand.

Finally, the name rung a bell in her head. "Ooh!" She exclaimed as she took hold of his hand to shake. "You were the nice 2nd Class SOLDIER who gave me the right directions to Training Room 49." She gave a genuine smile. "I couldn't recognize you because you had your helmet on the other time!"

Kunsel chuckled. "Didn't think you'll remember me, I wear my helmet all the time. I only take it off during lunch and… now." He smiled sheepishly.

"It's your name, I remember your name. I'm Meia. Thanks for helping me back there…" She said shyly.

"No problem, besides it was the fault of my fellow SOLDIERS that caused you the inconvenience. They didn't harass you further after that, no?" He smiled when Meia shook her head. "Good. After that incident, I was telling Zack about this and he gave the 3rd Class a long lecture comparable to Angeal as well."

"Angeal…?" Meia asked.

"Angeal Hewley. Zack's mentor, our role model in SOLDIER." Kunsel grinned. "He's really approachable and many of us look up to him. Always talking about embracing dreams and protecting your honour… You know Zack, right?"

"Yeap! Brother Zack was really fun to be with, he helped me with my tests in Training Room 49 that day."

"Brother Zack huh?" Kunsel mused, his brown eyes showing hints of amusement.

The girl tilted her head to the right in confusion. "Anything wrong about that, Brother Kunsel?"

"Brother Kunsel?" He choked in surprise, before succumbing to a laugh. "You don't have to call us by Brother Kunsel and Brother Zack, you know?" He explained. Meia then replied that she felt uncomfortable not adding an honorific to somebody's name. "Meia… I doubt I'm any older than you. Please don't call me Brother Kunsel." He grinned. "So… call me Kunsel?"

Meia scrunched her face, but relented. "Kunsel." She said, smiling.

* * *

><p>It was after breakfast when Cissnei saw the black-haired girl from the end of the corridor. "Meia!" She called out.<p>

The girl looked happy to see her and ran towards her. "Sister Cissnei!" Meia greeted. Her face was shiny from perspiration and she looked like she haven't had breakfast either.

"… A little late to be back from the gym, huh?" Cissnei observed.

She flushed. "I met a nice SOLDIER a few weeks ago, he helped me out with something. I met him in Floor 30 this morning, but we barely did any work on the treadmill. It was nice talking to him, he is such a friendly person!" Cissnei laughed cheerfully. It looked like her worries that Meia couldn't fit in were redundant. "So…" Meia looked at Cissnei. "What's up?"

"It's two more weeks before the Christmas party. I was wondering if you're free to join us girls for shopping this afternoon."

Meia was delighted. "Of course!" She then looked around the corridor suspiciously, and she asked, "How will we get partners for the dance?" She made a face. "I don't know many people, how would I get a partner?"

Cissnei was startled by her question. Not that she didn't expect her to ask but it seemed as if Meia had certain hopes. Her mouth made a little 'o' as she realized what was Meia looking for.

"Don't worry Meia, I'm sure Reno will ask you!" She smiled, letting an uncommon tint of mischief show in the good-natured Turk's face.

The girl looked surprised at Cissnei's assurance. "It's not what you think!" She laughed, raising her hands in justification. "It's just that I'd feel more at ease if I can go with someone that I'm comfortable with."

Cissnei scrutinized the girl's speech. A master of reading human behavior, she found that Meia did not appear to be lying. _She does sound genuine. _Cissnei thought to herself. _Is she really hoping Reno will ask her so that she would feel less awkward?_

"Cissnei!" As Cissnei looked in the direction that the voice called after, she saw Reno walking towards them.

"Oh, hey Meia." Reno greeted the girl casually, but Cissnei thought she detected a slight hesitation in his voice.

"Good afternoon, Brother Reno!" she beamed.

"Hey Cissnei... Erm..." He stammered, trying to find the right words out.

"Hmm," She mused, placing a hand on her hip. "Reno is out of words to say. That's a first."

Reno flushed. "Shut up, I'm here 'cos I was wondering if you wanna be my partner for the Shinra Christmas Party."

Cissnei's jaw nearly dropped, and she was sure that behind her, Meia's were probably doing the same too.

"Uh... Eew?" She said lamely. "Why would you ask me?"

"It's just a party, don't think too much about it yo?" He replied casually. "Just... Just let me know your answer." With that, he quickly strode off.

_Way to go, Reno…_ Mocked Cissnei in her heart. _Entering a conversation between Meia and I and leaving us awkward now. _She didn't dare look at Meia's expression. _Suppose Meia does like Reno… but she's only 12!_ She shook her head, disagreeing with herself. Girls nowadays are maturing faster than before. Her heart ached at the thought of Meia upset.

"Meia…" She turned around. "I'll definitely check with Reno and tell him to ask you instead." Meia was staring into blank air. "… Meia?"

"Huh what?" The girl broke out of her reverie. She hastily waved her hands in assurance. "It's okay, why do you need to ask Brother Reno?" She smiled. "I'm just wondering how we'll get dance partners, but it's alright for you now… isn't it?" She gasped. "I… I should go for breakfast now, before the cafeteria prepares lunch."

"Huh? Wait!" Cissnei called out but Meia sped off along the corridor, not looking back. "Meia…" She uttered, folding her arms and looking away in thought.

* * *

><p>"Carmelle?"<p>

The pretty blonde turned to face Meia. "What's up, Meia?" She smiled sweetly at her favourite girl.

"Why do you like Sunny?"

Her purplish blue eyes widened in genuine surprise, she dropped the clothes that she was hanging. "What… What are you saying, Meia?" She exclaimed and her face was blushing.

Meia hastily picked up the fallen piece of clothing. "But… you do." She insisted innocently. "The way you treat Sunny compared to the other boys around us… it just feels different."

Carmelle gave a sigh in self-frustration. "I can never run away from your intelligent little brain can I?" She teased as she grinded the temples of Meia's head playfully. The eleven-year old Meia giggled as she struggled out of Carmelle's grip.

As the two girls broke apart, Carmelle gave up her clothes-hanging and sat down on the dirty pavement with the girl, hiding under the shade of a zinc pavilion. Carmelle asked again. "When… When did you notice?"

Meia giggled. "Sometime last year."

The older girl snorted. "Gosh… I thought you would've noticed it only this year or something. Aren't you observant?" She grinned. "You should use your brains for getting good deals from our merchants instead of wondering if I like anyone!" Meia beamed, protesting that she wasn't distracted from working. They fell into silence and it was a while before Carmelle spoke. "Sunny is a cheerful boy and he always brings hope into our lives, doesn't he?"

Meia nodded. "I like Sunny, he's like a big brother to me and I always feel safe with him!" Her hands were stretched out as she spoke, her hands in contact with the sun beams shining past the pavilion.

Carmelle laughed. "Yes Meia. I feel that way with him too."

"Why don't you tell Sunny about your feelings then?" Meia turned to look at Carmelle. "You're pretty and you're nice, I'm sure Sunny likes you too!"

"Oh Meia…" The strawberry blonde shook her head. "I don't ever want to let Sunny know. I… I can never be together with him."

"Why?" Meia exclaimed, devastated that her good friends cannot be together.

"More like…" She stared into the short distance, among the debris and activity. "More like I don't want to try and do anything about this. Sunny and I... it won't ever work out. He is my family. Even though he's not my blood-related family, he, you and Tihan… are the closest people I have right now." Carmelle held Meia close to her and Meia hugged back. "I don't want things between the two of us to ever disappear. If he doesn't like me or if we don't work out… one of us will leave eventually. I don't want to destroy anything now."

Meia will never forget the pain in her eyes as she spoke. At 15, Carmelle was mature for her age and often shared many wise words with her. Meia had never thought that Carmelle would have problems of her own.

"I… I think I understand?" Meia gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry Carmelle, I just wanted to know how… how it feels like to like someone that way."

Carmelle ruffled Meia's glossy hair. "You're too young, Meia! … But… But I guess girls nowadays mature really early huh? Someday Meia, when you're older, maybe you'll understand what I'm all talking about." She stood up, getting ready to resume her clothes-drying. "However… I hope that your romance will not be torturous like mine." Carmelle's voice softened, her back was facing Meia so the little girl couldn't see her expression. "It's just that… Just that… when I see him, my heart hurts inside… my chest feels like it is going to explode. I… I hope you never need to feel the heartache I feel, Meia."

* * *

><p>Meia's eyes flew open, to see the cream white ceiling above her.<p>

As usual, it was a dream, even though it did happen. _That was mere months before I lost the three of them._ She thought. Her mind kept going back to Carmelle's last words before the dream ended.

"My heart hurts inside, like it is going to explode." Meia uttered the words of Carmelle, feeling weird as the words rolled off her tongue. She thought about the events that happened earlier that day, when Reno asked Cissnei for the dance.

Meia never told anyone about this (because she's not so sure herself), but she thought that Cissnei and Reno were so close, it was almost special. They often hung out together for lunch and they had missions together, more frequently in the first year when Reno was a rookie Turk. Cissnei was not offended when Reno teased her, she made fun of him and he was cool with that too. Nobody teased them for being close, it was as if… they knew that the two of them have some kind of history. Meia dared not ask anyone about this, for fear of being misunderstood, or worse, bringing inconvenience to Reno and Cissnei.

It was only natural that Reno would ask Cissnei for the party. Just like how Meia feels comfortable around Reno, Reno feels comfortable around Cissnei. Meia cannot force Reno to ask her to the party, can she? It wasn't as if he must ask her… not as if it was a rule, right?

_Brother Reno is a nice man who accepted me and brought me to Shinra. _She decided to herself. _Brother Reno is just like family!_

_Still…_

She clutched her chest, her heart aching as if it was going to squeeze itself out. This was the second time that she felt this way, the other time it happened when she saw Reno and Cissnei talking from afar. What does it all mean? Carmelle talked about her heart exploding… as heartache.

_Is… Is this what heartache mean?_

* * *

><p>I hope you all kinda understand that some scenes in between happened a few days apart, and some mere hours ago. I'll try to drop description to tell you when they happened, but I hope that I've been pretty clear so far =P<p>

Oh yes, how could I be so careless? I apologise for my lack of diligence in my research, because last night to my horror, I realized that some of my Before Crisis Turks are a litttttttle out of character. In fact, the timeline may be even messed up! However, I have progressed too far into the story to back out and there's NO WAY you'll want me to rewrite, right? So… I'm going to try and not make this AU (I… must not YIELD!). Yes, Before Crisis will be AU (since Meia IS original after all), but for the events after BC, everything SHOULD be exactly like the game. My aim of the story, after all, is to insert a character so nicely hidden that SquareEnix can 'erase' her existence, even though she was around in the events.

(trumpet sounds) Samantha Sheffield isss back! After escaping from the terrible Mako experiments from Hojo, she is back and ready to roll on her newest chapter of her story "Storm"! If you love Turk stories, PLEASE read her story because you won't regret it!

Also, The Writing Artist has decided to jump in the bandwagon and wrote her rendition of a Turk story: The Life of Cissnei. Title may change eventually, so I suggest you quickly search this story, and alert it!

Once again, I thank the reviewers and alert-ers for showing their never-ending support to this painfully slow-progressing story of mine! I promise from this point, you'll start to see a little more action and less explaining!


	12. Blood Everywhere

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Wahahaha, ratings have been changed to T, for future chapters!

**Chapter 12 – Blood Everywhere**

Since the dream of Carmelle, it has been a few days. Meia resumed her routinely activities as usual. Simple-minded, she didn't notice that Reno did not talk to her anything regarding the party at all. Neither did she think any further about the troubling thoughts in her head. Everything was back to normal, although Meia still did not find a partner for the Christmas party. It seemed that all the Turks already asked someone to be their partner. They all expressed surprise when they heard that Reno asked Cissnei, but no one commented further.

Apparently, Cissnei did try to talk to Reno. Cissnei told Meia that she was unable to get Reno to give a proper answer. Meia was amused by the older Turk's behaviour, why did she need to be apologetic that Reno asked her to the dance? Meia simply couldn't understand the relationship between Reno and Cissnei and didn't have any opportunity to make some sense out of it. She must not be distracted, she had learnt it the hard way when training with Alana.

At 7 in the morning, Meia walked into the cafeteria, ready for breakfast to start her day. Earlier on, she woke up with a bad stomachache and now she was feeling a little queasy. However, the sight of the sumptuous breakfast Shinra provided for their employees never failed to quell her nausea. She filled her tray with French toast, soft-boiled eggs and her usual cup of chocolate milk. Turning away from the queue, she scanned the cafeteria for familiar faces. Although the cafeteria was on the Turks' floor, many Shinra employees like to come to their cafeteria (the Floor was open to all Shinra employees). Apparently, the cafeteria is famous for their blueberry pancakes, but Meia has yet to try that. The small cafeteria was capable of sitting around fifty people, which meant that the cafeteria was almost full everyday.

She quickly spotted Reno's trademark scarlet hair and made her way over to the long table. The Turks were deep in conversation about the missions they needed to do today and neither of them noticed her arrival. "Good morning Brother Reno, Brother Rude, Brother Haato, Sister Cissnei!" She greeted brightly.

"Hey Meia!" Reno grinned, patting on the seat next to him. She hesitated slightly, but sat down next to him nevertheless. Today, the smell of fresh laundry was stronger than ever. "You know? I think the month that you've been with us has really done you some good at last!" He pinched her cheeks playfully. "You're starting to gain some weight already, that's good."

Rude nodded, more interested in getting the blueberry pancake to sit on his fork.. "Not so skin-and-bone anymore."

Meia was about to say something when her stomach took in another painful jab. "What's wrong?" Cissnei asked caringly when she saw that the girl winced. Meia blushed and mumbled that she had a tummyache earlier in the morning.

Haato snorted into his coffee. Somehow, the way Meia said 'tummyache' instead of 'stomachache' was simply adorable. "Maybe our food is too rich for your stomach, little girl." He grinned mischievously.

"Yeah, probably." Meia mumbled again.

"So… Cissnei," Reno was talking again. "Let's say I pick you up at your room around 7pm this Saturday?"

Meia's chest tightened suddenly and she almost choked on her French toast. She calmed herself down as she heard Cissnei ask with a dead voice, "Reno, the party starts at 7."

"I know," Replied Reno with a drawl. "But we can be fashionably late, can't we?"

Meia stood up suddenly. She made a face. "My stomach really hurts." She grinned sheepishly. "Please watch over my food while I'm gone."

"Sure sure." Reno said lightly and Meia briskly left the table.

_Oh dear heart,_ she commanded inside. _Please stop aching so badly. I'm not bothered by Brother Reno and Sister Cissnei. I'm just jealous because… I mean… I'm not jealous!_ She coughed to correct herself. _EVEN if I am jealous, it's just because Brother Reno is the closest to me, and I'll feel awkward at the party without him. Yes! That's it, that's why I feel terrible inside right?_

She entered the toilet, there was nobody around thankfully. She stared at her pale face in the mirror. _Have I not been in the sun that long?_ She thought to herself. _Or am I that sick?_

She sighed as she chose a stall and locked the door. _I am jealous that Brother Reno asked Sister Cissnei, but it's a family kind of jealousy. Yeah! That's right!_ She mused to herself, undoing the buttons on her pants.

Her mind furiously working out the logic in her actions, she sat on the toilet bowl. But for the first time, her mind went blank as soon as her nose picked up a metallic smell and her eyes saw a flash of red.

* * *

><p>"Reno? What the heck is wrong with you?" Cissnei hissed as soon as Meia was out of earshot.<p>

Reno looked up from his toast lazily. "What?" He asked with a drawl at the female Turk sitting opposite him.

She lifted her fork at him in a slightly aggressive manner. "Don't 'what' me!" She deadpanned, doing an accurate imitation of his lazy response. "It's bad enough that you don't tell me the reason why you asked me instead of Meia for the dance." She lowered her fork, though her subtle glare did not. "Need you bring it up in front of her?" She asked quietly.

Haato put down his fork and placed his hands in between the space between the two Turks. "Whoa… what's happening now?" He asked, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Blatantly ignoring Haato, Cissnei continued her subdued rage. "Don't you know that Meia is really hoping that you can ask her for the Christmas dance? She's only 6 years-old at heart, for goodness sake!"

"Oh, THAT. I agree with Cissnei actually." Haato added. "Don't you think our little Meia would not be as nervous if you were with her instead?"

"Not cool." Confirmed Rude.

"Whoa guys! What's with the group attack on my actions?" Exclaimed Reno, frowning in slight irritation. "Firstly, I can choose whoever I want for the dance! It's none of your business who I ask to the dance, yo."

"Yes, it is none of our business who YOU ask, you jerk. But it is our business, or mine at least, when it involves Meia." Cissnei said firmly.

Reno rolled his eyes. "Don't play the mother role again, Cissnei! The other reason why I don't want to ask her…"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A scream echoed through the cafeteria, silencing the noisy chatter of everyone.

Reno jerked his head up. "Meia?" He asked, his voice full of fear. "Meia?" He shouted again. There was no sound apart from the murmur from the kitchen. "MEIA!" He scrambled out of his seat and rushed to the female's toilet.

"Reno!" Rude called out.

His earned reputation of 'Fastest of the Turks' was not in vain. He reached the toilet before anyone did. He kicked the door open, his EMR flipped out and ready for trouble. "Meia?" He called again.

"Brother Reno!"

Reno ran to the stall where Meia was in. "Meia! What hap- Oh for the love of-" He cursed, jerking his head backward and yelling. "CISSNEI!"

Meia's pallid face was fixated on Reno's own, her hazel eyes wide with fear. "Blood! Blood everywhere!" She burst into tears. "I'm going to die!"

Cissnei reached the toilet stall within seconds. "Oh Meia…" She softened once she understood the situation. She turned to Reno, who was still standing beside her, his face as red as his flaming hair. "Why are you still here? Get out of the toilet!" She frowned.

Her words brought the stunned Turk to his senses. Half stammering, he almost tripped on his way out.

* * *

><p>As Cissnei wiped her clean and taught her the proper methods of handling her biological needs, Meia asked shyly. "So… I'm not going to die?"<p>

The shruiken user laughed. "Far from it, Meia."

Meia looked down, her face was still warm from the ruckus she made. "Thank you… I… I never had anyone taught me these things."

Cissnei smiled warmly. "I didn't either. When I first had mine, there was a Shinra employee who was in the toilet as well, so I had help too. We… We all lost our parents… I guess we learn things much differently." She squatted down and placed her hands on Meia's shoulders. "Having parents or not… doesn't change the way we are… right?" She asked softly, her rhetorical question reflecting her emotions inside.

Meia felt a little guilty for bringing up family. Like herself, Cissnei never knew her parents. Her childhood was spent in combat and training. At least Meia had her three friends around in her till recently. She wasn't too sure if Cissnei truly had a real friend.

Nodding enthusiastically, Meia replied. "We are still humans, and we still deserved to be loved, even though we don't live normal lives."

Cissnei looked at her in mild surprise. "Yes." She smiled. "And even though we end up being in an organization hated by all outside Shinra…"

"We have each other." Meia ended softly for her.

The older girl stood up. "Come on Meia," She said. "Let's go."

Even though Cissnei's earlier expressions were gone, when they left the cubicle Meia quietly held the shruiken specialist's hand, squeezing it. As Meia felt a squeeze in return, she smiled, knowing that Cissnei felt the same too.

* * *

><p>Rude was standing in a corner, watching his flustered partner pace around the corridor. "So." He said simply.<p>

Reno turned to him. "… What?" He asked defensively.

"Reno, one of the heartless, most sadistic Turks around… has a heart." He pushed his sunglasses against his face, even though the lighting outside the cafeteria was dim. "I thought I've seen it all when you insisted on saving her and bringing her back. But now…" He faced Reno squarely. "All Meia did was scream and you ran into the ladies'… like a headless chocobo." He added the simile for added effect.

"Hey!" Reno grunted. "Somebody could've been hurt you know." He looked highly uncomfortable, because what Rude said hit closer than he thought, to home.

"It was only a scream." Rude argued with no literal elegance. "Back when Cissnei had a shot on her arm in a mission, you told her to suck it up and back then you two… you know what I mean, right?"

"That… Tch!" Reno clicked his tongue in defeat. "Don't bring up the past randomly! I don't know why I did all those, okay? The minute I heard her scream, I just ran to the toilet like a headless chocobo. Laugh all you want."

Rude folded his arms against his chest, his partially-covered face full of amusement.

"You're really going to do that?" Reno groaned in frustration. "I'm worried sick about Meia getting hurt in the toilet and all you care about is laughing at me!"

"Relax, partner," Rude tried but Reno walked away before he could stop him. "You can't tease him when Meia's not well now, huh?" Rude muttered to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Ever since the encounter in the gym, Meia and Kunsel met regularly to chat. He wasn't around in the weekends because of his return home in Midgar. However, whenever possible, they do train together, using the famous Training Room 49.<p>

Kunsel was not as good a teacher as Zack Fair, but a more competent fighter than Meia nevertheless. Kunsel taught her how to block melee attacks and even some offensive stances. Being superb in the roundhouse kick, Kunsel taught his flawless roundhouse kick to the girl and remarked continuously how quickly she 'picked up' the skill. Meia didn't tell him of her special ability. Not that she wasn't aware of it, it was more of continuing her plan to keep a low profile. She nodded her thanks whenever Kunsel praised her, but said nothing otherwise.

Meia liked talking to Kunsel. He was in many ways similar to Tihan. He had the same chocolate brown hair, the same smile (Meia choked when she first saw him smile). Like Tihan, he was a sensible, quiet guy, a stark contrast to his good friend Zack. Meia often heard from Kunsel various episodes where Zack and Kunsel would meet up for a good movie in Sector 8. Kunsel complained good-naturedly how Zack was hogging the attention of the girls around, eventually ending up with Kunsel dragging Zack to safety before the girls got aggressive. Kunsel was not humourous nor bubbly like Zack, but he was definitely the best sit-down-and-chat-over-coffee friend.

"Maybe someday you can come to my house, and enjoy my mom's cooking." Kunsel said cheerfully, as they sat on the gym bench, over a can of isotonic drink. "She makes the best Midgar beef stew around!" Knowing a little of Meia's past (and his striking resemblance to her childhood friend), he made extra effort to accompany her whenever the Turks are out on missions. Meia was grateful for his friendship and help. Besides, knowing Kunsel means that she has less trouble when she visits the SOLDIER floor.

Shortly after the embarrassing toilet incident, Kunsel called after Meia as she left Training Room 49, after another productive session with Professor Timothy.

"What's up, Kunsel?" She smiled at the sight of her friend.

"Say, Meia…" Kunsel's hand gestured as he spoke. "I was just wondering… if you don't have a partner already, would you like to be my partner for the Christmas party this Saturday?"

Meia coughed, a little shy that he asked. "Why me?" She asked, her face blushing in spite of herself.

"Well..." Kunsel sounded a little embarrassed. "In truth, I don't have many close female friends to ask. I have no intention of asking my older or younger sister as my dance partner so..." He trailed off, Meia could tell he was glad that the helmet was covering his facial expressions. "I suppose you Turks have each other since it's a co-ed department. It's all guys in SOLDIER, not many options for us, is there?"

Meia laughed at his detailed explanation. "I'm partner-less for the dance too, Kunsel! Let's go together!"

"That's great!" exclaimed Kunsel, audibly relieved. "I ahh... I guess I'll pick you up at 6.30 on Saturday?"

"Sure!" Meia grinned, waving goodbye to the SOLDIER who might save her from more heartache this Saturday.

* * *

><p>HAHAHA! I MUST apologise for the extremely awkward scene earlier on! My point is just that… characters have their days too. How did these people fight and work despite having all those… things. As far as possible I try to paint a realistic picture of behind the scenes. You will see more scenes where you realize that they are as human as us so while I bring this new perspective to you, I hope no one is offended . Besides, Reno's reaction to Meia's scream was too cute to ignore =P<p>

Yes! The next chapter will be part 1 of the Christmas Party, I kinda liked that chapter, I hope you'll like it too!

I wonder if you guys picked up anything that hints of a storyplot in my future chapters =P it was just one sentence. Wahahahaha. I shall not say any further.

From the **27****th**** June till 29****th**** July**, I'll be dispatched to an elementary school for my practicum (Yes, I'm going to be a teacher *dum dum dum*). As such, **I may not be as frequent in replies and/or updates.** But there will still be updates as I have prepared them in advance (aren't I the greatest? WAHAHAHA)... Anyway, please bear with me. Meanwhile, I will ensure that I do not lose my passion to write even in this period.

So one more chapter to upload before this week ends! Please review as it will mean so much to me. Here's a quick shoutout to: TWA, Takara and MusaBakaChan!


	13. Never Been Kissed

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 13 – Never Been Kissed**

6:30 P.M.

On Floor 3, where the main multi-function hall was, the Shinra's Christmas company dinner was held. The multi-function hall was bare save for buffet tables at the sides of the hall. Chandeliers fell prettily over the hall, casting its soft light onto the marble floor. Plush wall decorations adorned the room. The hall had many full-length windows that, when opened, leads to a mini balcony overlooking Sector 8. The doors were open to early guests and soft background music was playing.

"It's so pretty!" Meia exclaimed as she stepped out of the elevator. She spun around slowly, her eyes taking in the grand details with delight. She grinned at Kunsel. "I'm glad that I'm your partner tonight, I wonder what kind of mischief I'll get into if I'm here all alone!"

Kunsel snorted in reply. "The pleasure to be your partner is all mine, Meia. So how shall we spend the time tonight?" Kunsel asked. "We could either be with the Turks, if they're friendly enough." He grinned. "I'm positive my SOLDIER friends will be alright having us around."

Meia did consider spending the night with the Turks, but something faltered her. "Nah, I'll love to know your SOLDIER friends better!" She nodded.

"Alright then, let me bring you to Zack first…"

* * *

><p>6:55 P.M.<p>

"Whew!" sighed Cissnei in satisfaction as she arrived at Floor 3, with Reno behind her. "Just on time!"

"You know, it's been a long time since I saw you wear something apart from black or navy blue." commented Reno, giving his comrade a glance over again. She was wearing a wine red tube-dress, not as if Reno knew how to describe the specifics of her clothing.

Cissnei grinned, smoothing out the dress a little. "That's because us girls agreed to wear something that's NOT black nor navy blue." She laughed, her hair rippled softly as her head moved.

"All of you girls, huh?" Reno replied, keeping his questions to himself.

Cissnei knew better. "Yes, even Meia." She answered for him, a glint of mischief showing in her eyes.

"You look stunning tonight, Cissnei." Reno complimented softly, ignoring her comment. He noticed that most guys, especially from SOLDIER, were giving Cissnei a second glance. He smirked to himself, feeling a little proud that his partner was one of the hottest Shinra employees. "I'm feeling damn proud that you're my partner, Cissnei."

"Proud of yourself, you mean." She rolled her eyes. Cissnei scanned around the room for familiar faces. The multi-function hall was huge and filled with Shinra employees. Almost everyone had a partner on their side. The party at Floor 3 was open to the public as long as they had an invitation slip. With hundreds of people interacting at the same time, it was impossible to find anyone easily.

"There's KK." pointed Reno at the short-haired lady in cobalt blue. Cissnei beckoned him to follow her and the two of them walked towards KK and her partner Kido. They were talking to Veld, who appeared at the party alone.

"Yo, boss!" Reno greeted with a casual wave of his hand.

"Good evening, Veld." greeted Cissnei. She knew him since she was nine.

Cissnei rarely revealed her past. Although she wasn't of Wutai origins, she used to be a Wutai spy. As soon as she could walk, she was trained to run from enemies. As soon as she could talk, she was trained to keep quiet and never reveal information even at the cost of her life. Living in harsh environments and brutal training, she was brought up to hate the life she lived and she resented both Wutai and Shinra for making her life a living hell. Wutai Wings, her group was called, but Cissnei never had the wings that the group promised.

She was sent to an orphanage when she was nine. There was information stating that Veld, the leader of the Turks, would visit a particular orphanage in the outskirts of Wutai to choose a new Turk to train. She was sent as a ploy to infiltrate Shinra, being a double agent for her anti-Shinra group while being a Turk. Veld chose her naturally, seeing that she was superb in her fighting skills and was not as attention-seeking as the other children. She initially thought that the plan was going well. Once they were out of Wutai, Veld confronted her. She knew that the gig was up, but there was no reason to protect the people who didn't give more than two cents about her life. She gladly changed sides, upon Veld's promise that she would live a better life than before if she pledge loyalty to Shinra.

A man of his word, Veld had been kind to ensure she received accommodation, food, proper training and even an education. The leader of the Turks was not as strict and unloving like her previous leader. He governed with a firm but caring hand. However, tired of the double faces and mystery behind the people around her in her early days, Cissnei did not trust the Turks easily, even though she had swapped loyalties. It took Veld and the rest of the Turks almost three years before Cissnei began loving life and the people around her.

Veld, to Cissnei, was the saviour from her living hell.

"Cissnei! Reno!" laughed Veld. "I didn't think I'll see you two together! What happened to Meia?"

Cissnei snorted to herself. From the corner of her eye she saw Reno gave a groan of frustration. "Ask him, sir." she answered Veld, her head cocking toward Reno.

"Come on boss," complained Reno. "I'm not ordered to take Meia to the party, am I?"

"Good evening boss." Rude's voice came from behind Reno. He was accompanied by Cassie, who was wearing an emerald green sweetheart dress, the bodice was designed with tiny gemstones.

_Saved by the bell. _Cissnei clearly saw that expression on Reno's face and smiled to herself in amusement.

"Rude, Cassie," Veld nodded, his attention now diverted away. "I must say you look absolutely beautiful tonight Cassie."

"Thank you, sir." answered Cassie. "It is an old dress I found at home though."

"I suppose your parents are well, no?" Cassie replied that her parents were doing extremely well in their health.

"You never fail to make me wonder why you want to be a Turk," commented KK. "Your parents are the wealthiest in Mideel. You could-" She was interrupted when a lady walked past her, bumping into KK. "Opps, sorry!" apologized Katherine but the lady hurriedly walked off without as much of a glance.

"Why did you need to apologize?" asked Kido coolly. "She was the one who bumped into you." KK grinned with an air of silliness. KK was clumsy in nature, eventually apologizing for everything that she bumped into… even inanimate objects.

As the host of the event appeared onstage to welcome President Shinra for his opening speech, Veld turned to his Turks, his voice was low. "Be alert tonight." He ordered. The Turks nodded in response.

Cissnei nudged Cassie. "Where are the other Turks?"

Cassie whispered back. "Mason and his cousin are in front. Leia and Haato are also nearby, keeping the president safe. We're taking turns to be close to the President. Tseng and Alana are at the other end of the room." She laughed softly. "Those workaholics are already on guard before Veld told them to."

Cissnei smiled. That sounded just like what the two of them would do. "How about Meia?" Cissnei asked. She heard a slight movement at the back and refrained from grinning, imagining Reno straining his ear to hear what Cassie had to say.

"Oh, I saw her." replied Cassie casually. "She looks really sweet in that dress we chose for her."

"Where has she been?" asked Reno, his voice showing a little more concern than he allowed.

Rude snorted. "She's with some SOLDIER guy." Even at a company function, Rude never failed to keep his sunglasses with him everywhere. "Don't think you'll see her much tonight. That SOLDIER is bringing her around the party."

"Huh." Cissnei heard Reno grunt behind her. She laughed and said that she would find her later.

* * *

><p>Kunsel's friends mainly consist of 2nd Class SOLDIERS, including the popular Zack Fair. He recognized her immediately, bending over and doing a handstand in the middle of the hall. She laughed uncontrollably, while Kunsel gently reminded his good friend that they were in a dinner party. Unlike the 3rd Class SOLDIERS that Meia met on her first day in Shinra, the 2nd Class SOLDIERS were friendly and talkative. She found no problem fitting into the group of SOLDIERS, they were not snobbish nor uncaring as she initially thought them to be.<p>

She was talking to Luxiere about machine guns when she spotted the pair of redheads walking by. "Excuse me, if you would." She said shyly, Luxiere nodded his forgiveness for her interruption. She quickly ran over to the two of them, hugging them both from behind. Meia heard Cissnei gasp in surprise and she smelled the signature scent of Reno before she felt them turn around.

"I've been looking all over the place for you!" Cissnei exclaimed, placing a hand on her shoulder. Meia laughed at the sight of Cissnei's relieved expression.

"Meia!" Reno cried happily. He pinched her cheek playfully. "Looking cute tonight!" Meia beamed, looking at her cream yellow dress that flared out nicely in soft pleats. Cassie insisted that the yellow brought out the hazel in her eyes, the dress was cheap within the small budget she had anyway. Meia thanked Reno, her face was warm with pleasure. "Are you going to spend the whole time with the SOLDIERS tonight?" He asked.

Meia nodded. "Uh huh," She grinned. "It's not as if I hardly see you guys too! Since Kunsel is my partner tonight, I thought I can make more friends."

"I totally agree with you, little Meia." Reno smiled brightly.

"Speaking of which… Kunsel?" She turned over and called her partner over. As he walked over, Meia couldn't help but remark to herself how different Kunsel looked tonight. He always wears the SOLDIER helmet over his head, Meia hardly saw him without one. In fact, his old-time friend Zack told her that he hardly saw Kunsel without his helmet too!

_He looked really nice tonight._ She smiled at him. His brown hair looked airy and almost fluffy, an unlikely result from having the helmet stuck in his hair all the time. He was dressed in a navy blue suit and pants.

"Your partner, Meia?" Cissnei asked.

"Yeah, he's a friend that I met while in the Floor 30 gym a few weeks ago!" Meia replied happily.

Kunsel held his hand out politely. "I'm Kunsel, 2nd Class SOLDIER. Pleased to meet you."

Cissnei shook it firmly. "Cissnei, I'm a Turk." She smiled.

"Reno." Said Reno with an aloof wave of his hand.

"Oh I know you two." Kunsel grinned. "The fastest of the Turks and the hottest woman in Shinra. Can't say how happy I am to meet you two."

In response to his compliment Cissnei blushed and thanked him humbly. Reno shrugged, his eyes not leaving Kunsel.

Cissnei glanced at Reno's actions, pondering. Then she clapped her hands together. "Well now, Reno, shouldn't we be dancing or something?" Cissnei suddenly exclaimed. She held Reno by the hand and nodded at Meia. "We'll talk to you later okay?" She smiled. "Have fun!"

"Bye Sister Cissnei, Brother Reno!" Meia called after them.

Kunsel smiled to himself, admiring the girl next to him. He stared back at the two famous Turks walking away. "They seem to be pretty nice people. You must be happy to be a Turk."

"Of course!" She turned back to her partner. "It's always been my ambition to be a Turk!"

"Oh?"

"Yup, I read an advertisement in the slums. They were recruiting, and I've always had a huge respect for Mr. Vincent Valentine!" She nodded as she spoke excitedly. "So I had the inspiration to become a Turk, and follow in his footsteps!"

"The lengendary Turk who disappeared in the Project S Experiment?" He asked, surprised.

"Ooh, you know your Shinra history very well." She grinned. She had no problem with the long history of Shinra Power Company. She had a lot of time at her own disposal to read, however, she was surprised to see someone else who knew as much as she did.

Kunsel grinned in reply. "Of course, I'm very knowledgaeable." He did a little fist pump.

Meia nodded. "You sure are, Kunsel."

Her partner stared at her, his chocolate brown eyes full of warmth despite the chilly December air. "You look beautiful tonight, Meia."

The girl laughed, blushing at the compliment. "Thank you, Kunsel."

"In fact, what I really want to tell you is... thank you for being my friend. It's not easy making friends outside of SOLDIER. I don't really have many friends outside Shinra actually, I came here to be a SOLDIER as soon as I was able to." He smiled. "Training and training. I barely have time to make new friends."

Meia looked shocked. "Don't be silly, Kunsel! I should be glad to be your friend! You're such a nice person, I'm really glad that you helped me so much with everything so far!"

Her friend looked at her with a warm smile and, before Meia could react properly, he reached forward to kiss her cheek. Her eyes widened as she felt his lips make contact with her cheek. Kunsel did not make the kiss last long, for it was a simple peck on the cheek. Meia slapped a hand onto her cheek, a pretty blush forming across her porcelain cheek.

"I'm sorry, Meia!" Kunsel quickly apologized, his face showing embarrassment and remorse. "I… I didn't know why I wanted to do that, but I just… wanted to do that." He squeezed his eyes tightly and continued. "I don't mean anything, I swear!"

"N… No… it's alright." Meia looked away, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "It's just that… I've never been kissed on the cheek before." She looked back at Kunsel, who looked genuinely sorry. "I'm not offended at all! Don't look so sad!"

As Meia continued to assure him of his uncharacteristic action, neither of them knew that some distance away, a pair of redheads was observing them with their own conversation.

* * *

><p>(AN: Yes this happened simultaneously.)

As the two redheads left the other pair, Cissnei released Reno's hand. "I think I know why you've decided to ask me for the dance instead." Cissnei smiled, glancing at her partner.

"What now?" He frowned at her.

"You like her." She replied, simply.

Reno shook his head, knowing well who she meant. "You're being absurd, young lady."

"No, I'm not." She stared at his blue-green eyes with conviction. "Remember when I commented that you might love her if she was a little older? You became so conscious about what I said that you decided to throw me off-scent." Cissnei folded her arms and stared at Reno. "So… you asked me to the dance instead of Meia."

"Cissnei-"

"Don't try to deny it." She said calmly. "I've never seen such behaviour from you, not even… once." She faltered at the end, and their minds instantaneously thought of the past… when Reno was a rookie Turk.

The slight hesitation on Reno's face was immediately washed away by annoyance. "I didn't ask her to the dance only because I know that friend of hers wants to ask her for the party." He beckoned to the 2nd class SOLDIER, who was gesturing something to Meia and she nodded in response.

"Are you serious?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"I'm not some possessive brother, you know." He narrowed his eyes at Cissnei. "I… I do want her to make more friends apart from us Turks. It's good that she has a few friends in SOLDIER. It could be an advantage to her in the future."

Cissnei narrowed her eyes back at Reno. "How did you know that Kunsel wants to ask her out?"

Reno coughed and chose not to reply to that question. "I know she is supposed to be under low profile and all, but she's only 12, yo?" He pushed his spiked hair to the back of his head, but his fringe flopped back like a spring. "She should be having fun and making friends. I think I did a good job creating a good friendship between Meia and that SOLDIER." He said proudly, grinning at Cissnei.

She couldn't believe her ears. "So… you didn't ask her because you wanted her to make more friends outside of the Turks." Reno nodded confidently. "Then… may I ask you, Reno… are you regretting it now?" She pointed to the balcony where Meia and Kunsel were standing. Reno saw Kunsel reaching over to Meia's cheek, and the smallest sound of protest escaped his throat. _What was that?_ He thought furiously, a little surprised by his own response.

"Damn that kid!" He half-yelled. "I gave him Meia as a partner, not for him to kiss her!"

"Calm down!" His partner grabbed him by his coat. "It's just a friendly gesture," She said. "Aren't you the green-eyed monster now?" She smirked.

"I won't have him kissing little Meia like that! Let! Go!" He struggled out of Cissnei's grip but she tapped his head firmly till he finally calmed down. As he adjusted his collar, it was as if he finally realized how he must've looked in front of Cissnei. "It's not what you think, Cissnei." He growled.

The shruiken specialist was unfazed. "Really? I'm not going to even ask you to explain the threatening stare you kept giving Kunsel just now. Just answer me this, Reno." She gave him a challenging stare.

"Be my guest."

"Do you even treat Meia a little, even if _just a little_,more than brotherly love?"

Reno sighed and shook his head as if she was lunatic. He held his comrade by her shoulders. "I'm going to say this once. I don't like Meia in that way. I just care for her, more than anything else in this world. Heck, I care for her so much I'll give my life so that she can have one." He released her and glared at her. "It's as easy as that. Seriously Cissnei. Stop being so stupid." Reno growled, almost threateningly, as he left her.

Cissnei stared after the redhead in disbelief. _He doesn't like her but he'll die for her. He… really doesn't like her? _

_Or is he just unaware yet?_

* * *

><p>There, as promised, last chapter before I start slowing down on updates!<p>

Anyway, thanks for the reviews and comments! I'm glad that you like Meia so far! I admit I get a little confused with her personality. It's going to change slightly again in Year 0000. It's also a relief that not many were offended by my chapter 12.

XXTakaraXX: TWA is The Writing Artist, one of my reviewers. She has been responsible for pointing out my story loopholes, and I thank her profusely for her help. Haha, regarding the storyplot, it won't be a full-blown story arc, just a nice detail to add –drama- XD I think you seem like a pretty sharp reader, I'll just say... stay tuned! XD Thanks for your endless reviews and support!

writerzRC: thanks for the review! I hope my future chapters will be as satisfying as the first chapter!

SoupieLuv: Thank you for the alerts and fave! I'm really really glad that you like Meia! I hope she'll stay lovable in your eyes always XDD Of course, if she is sounding more Mary-Sue, don't hesitate to sound the alarm! XD

Gosh… 4 reviews this time round? So happy :)


	14. Earrings

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 14 – Earrings**

It was about half an hour after the awkward incident where Kunsel kissed Meia on her cheek. She shrugged it off and she really wasn't offended by his actions, for some reason. After he profusely apologised for his daring actions and she forgave him, they quickly resumed their endless conversation.

_I feel really comfortable around Kunsel. _She thought to herself as she leaned against the metal grilled railings, alone. In fact, she didn't feel embarrassed or shy at all. _Kunsel is like my brother, almost as if... _Meia felt very bad inside for thinking so. _Almost as if Kunsel is the replacement for the loss of Tihan._

_Then again… _She mused to herself._ Brother Reno somehow reminds me of Sunny. Bright, cheerful, optimistic… If Brother Reno smiled as often as Sunny, that is. Maybe that's why I could open up to Brother Reno so easily, because he is so like Sunny._

_I miss them._

She stared down at the city of Midgar, just five storeys above them. She held her wrist absent-mindedly, rubbing as if it could provide warmth in the cold December wind. Her mind kept slipping back to the kiss.

_It feels… weird. I've never had anyone kiss me on my cheek before. Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan only group hugged me, but no kisses, friendly or not. _She shook her head, her thoughts were in slight disarray and inclining towards ideas that made her blush. _This isn't right. Kunsel is Kunsel. Tihan is Tihan. They are not the same. _Her heart ached again at the thought of her dear friend. _The kiss meant nothing at all. Even if Kunsel were to like me… For me to like him…_

_It's not impossible either._

"Alone?" A voice said behind her, causing her to jump with fright. Meia turned around but when she saw that it was Reno, her face visibly relaxed. Reno grinned. "If your partner leaves you alone in the middle of a dinner party, it's not very polite, yo?"

Meia smiled. "His friends called him over for something and I just wanted to continue standing here and admire the city view." She stared straight ahead of her. "It's much different here."

"Huh?" Reno frowned at her comment but soon understood what she meant. "Yeah it's much different here. Less distant, huh?"

"Mm-hmm." was her absent-minded rejoinder, for Meia was intently staring into the distance, her mind was clearly thinking about something.

Reno felt the urge to hug her again, but this time he also felt his body resisting to his intentions. Eventually he settled for standing beside Meia and staring into the night sky with her. He felt awkward at the inner battle in his body. He had never felt hesitation like this before. If Reno wants something done, he always does it. _Damn Cissnei, she's getting into my brain!_ He thought to himself, disgusted.

As true as he proclaims, he does not feel any romantic feelings towards Meia. However, he cannot deny that he was surprised at his feelings towards the girl. Although they weren't romantic, he couldn't help but see Meia as someone special. Reno couldn't specify exactly what made Meia so special. It was simply ridiculous, especially when he only met Meia less than two months ago, already she was taking such a big place in his heart. Almost like if she were to disappear now… he would not be able to find joy in life again.

One thing is for sure though, he doesn't like Meia romantically.

_How about in the future?_ A teasing voice in his head mocked.

Reno refused to address that possibility.

"What are you thinking of, Brother Reno?" Meia's child-like voice penetrated his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. She was peering over at him.

Reno coughed a little, almost forgetting what he was here for. "I was just thinking to myself how beautiful you are tonight, Meia."

Meia flushed, while Reno noticed how pink her cheeks looked against the fair smooth skin of her cheek. The same cheeks that Kunsel kissed earlier on.

Shaking that thought away before it manifested into something ugly, he said. "I've got something for you." He took out a box, wrapped with as much patience as he could muster. "Happy belated birthday, Meia." He grinned.

Meia stared at Reno with muted shock. "How did-"

"Nothing escapes 'the fastest of the Turks'." Reno smirked, flipping his hair back. "I'm sorry that nobody else knew of your birthday."

Meia chuckled, remembering that she spent her birthday alone because the Turks were doing an overnight investigation on Leto. "I didn't expect anyone to know my birthday actually, Brother Reno." She meekly took the box with thanks. "What's inside?" Reno shrugged. She undid the ribbon and carefully removed the wrapping paper. It was a box of red hair dye. "Hair dye?" She asked, a hint of amusement colouring her tone.

"Yep!" Reno straightened his collar. "What's wrong with looking like me?"

"Gosh, Reno, you're so annoying!" She exclaimed, dropping "Brother" in front of his name, but Reno could tell that she was highly amused nevertheless. "I don't wanna look like you!" She grinned.

The redhead placed his hands in his pocket. "The hair dye is a joke. Open the box."

Looking at him questioningly, Meia opened the box. It was a little velvet box inside. She flipped the lid open and gasped in surprise. "Earrings!" She cried joyfully. They were small, gold loop-earrings. "They are so pretty!"

"Magic+10." Reno said proudly. "Bought them from Rocket Town while on a mission last week. Will do you some good in the battles too. Wait…" He checked her earlobes. "You don't have ear-holes." He frowned. "Well… I guess you'll use it when the time calls for it."

"Thank you Brother Reno!" She flung herself into the surprised Turk, hugging him tightly. "I'll treasure it!"

Reno blushed a little, taken aback by her sudden gesture. He patted her head and ruffled her hair. As she continued to gush over her present, Reno stared at her bright smile, capable of rivaling even the sun in the Midgar sky. He smiled to himself.

_I want to protect this smile forever._

* * *

><p>Cissnei gave a knowing smile to herself as she just noticed Reno and Meia at the balcony. "Can you feel the love tonight?" Cissnei sang to herself softly.<p>

"What kinda stupid song is that?" Haato commented, suddenly appearing at her side.

Cissnei turned to face Haato. "What stupid song? It's an awesome song!" She insisted smilingly, placing her hands on her hips in protest.

Haato took a step forward to stand beside Cissnei. The two Turks then stared at Reno and Meia, the latter was now opening some box. "So…" Haato started.

"Reno said that he doesn't love her romantically, but he cares for her more than anything in this world." Cissnei concluded. She turned to stare at them again. "I think they will make a cute couple." She commented lightly.

"Cissnei… Meia's only 12." Haato said slowly and gently, as if explaining a piece of philosophy to a child.

"Girls mature fast." Was her simple reply.

"Oh?" Mused Haato. "Are you saying that you're ready for romance too? If you need romance, you can always find me. I'll give you-"

"I'm not interested in the likes of you, Haato." Cissnei gave a sweet smile, knowing Haato was simply joking. Haato scoffed in mock disappointment. "I'm not interested in romance either." She stared at the crowd in the multi-function hall. "Not now anyway. Even if I do want someone to love in the future…" She pursed her lips in thought. "I think guys with black hair are nice."

"I have black hair." Haato grinned, brushing his hair with his fingers.

"Tall, well-built, handsome, but he must be cheerful and happy!" She smiled. "I know they're so cliché, but I really want someone who is able to protect me from danger."

"You've just listed everything that a girl wants in her lover, Cissnei. Well…" Haato took a sip out of his wineglass. "Whatever it is, the new year will be an interesting one. May you find your romance, and may we see something interesting happen between Meia and Reno." He lifted his glass for a toast.

Cissnei laughed, her wineglass clinking with Haato's. "I'll say. Actually, I'm pretty sure that Meia likes Reno..." She frowned as she thought hard. "Maybe not. Not now, at least. But I can't tell anything for Reno, I seriously-" When Cissnei turned around to face Haato, the katana specialist was gone.

The redhead sighed. Haato was always a wanderer, never staying in one place long enough. Previously, he travelled around the Planet running away from authorities. Then when he returned to Gongaga, he almost obliterated his town to save a framed friend. Now that he's stuck in Shinra, he could only flit around the places in Shinra, and make do with the people he meets here. As a Turk he can't be out of reach.

However, his problems didn't last for long, eventually he was used to life as a Turk and stayed. W_illingly. _She gave a cheeky smile as she saw him approach Leia, looking subtly beautiful with a long grey dress that swept the floor lightly as she moved.

* * *

><p>Cissnei wisely chose not to say anything when Reno returned to her side again. "I'm going to the washroom." Cissnei told Reno. He nodded and asked if she needed company. "Nah, I'll be fine." She grinned and gave a slight wave before heading out of the door.<p>

She walked out of the hall, turning right to walk down the corridor. There were many scattered guests, a wineglass in their hand or maybe a pat on each others' backs for a good job well done in the past year. Shinra was a huge company, so big that it was almost impossible to meet people from the other departments unless they were involved in assignments together. She barely knew anybody in the mutli-function hall, it almost felt as if she was in another venue altogether.

While in the ladies', Cissnei reapplied her lip gloss and crimped her hair a little, as if it would make her hair curlier. Satisfied with the result she saw in the mirror, she strode out of the toilet, ready to return to Reno. The lady who bumped into KK earlier on was walking towards her, Cissnei quickly noted that she wore a black knee-length dress and looked very suspicious. By reflex, Cissnei grabbed the woman by the arm, but her glare gave way to a look of pure surprise and recognition. "… Oceania?" Cissnei felt a tremble as she said her name, her eyes staring into a piece of her past.

The lady was as shocked to see her too. "Agent Tenshi!" She whispered, her face pale as if she saw a ghost. "I… I thought… I thought that you were dead!" She hugged her old comrade tightly, but Cissnei stiffened as soon as she felt a blade touching the small of her back. "… So it is true…" Oceania's voice was soft and deathly. "For the past 5 years since you disappeared from the anti-Shinra mission… you've become Shinra's lapdogs."

Cissnei was about to reach for her shruiken, Rekka, but stopped. _It's not with me!_ She realized in horror that Oceania has divested her of her weapon.

Oceania pulled back, smirking. In her hand held Cissnei's prized weapon, Rekka. "Losing your touch, are you? Agent Tenshi?" She fiddled with the shruiken with dexterity. "You were never like this, back in Wutai."

The redhead narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here?"

"You know very well why we're here." Oceania's black eyed bored into Cissnei's hazel ones.

"How many more of your people are there?" Cissnei then scolded herself for asking the obvious. In her many years working in the anti-Shinra group, she herself never knew who were inside the group.

"I'm not obliged to answer your questions, Agent Tenshi." Oceania laughed, the blade was still held against Cisssnei's back. "You are in no good position to negotiate."

"Oh, but you're not in a good position to threaten too, yo." Reno's arrogant voice spoke behind Oceania.

"Wha-" Oceania faltered. Taking the opportunity, Cissnei grabbed the hand that was holding the dagger and expertly twisted the dagger off Oceania's hand. The dagger dropped onto the carpeted floor with a 'thud'. Now being stripped of her weapon, she took a fighting stance against Reno and Cissnei. Her speed was never a match against Reno. Before Oceania could react, Reno swiftly struck the back of her neck with his EMR. He did not use a lot of strength, so she merely fainted from the impact.

As the Wutai agent slumped onto the floor, Reno turned to Cissnei. "Your comrades?" He asked non-chalantly.

"Ex." She said simply. Reno never doubted her loyalties. However, seeing Oceania again after five years was not something she anticipated.

"How many more are there?"

"… I don't know." She squatted down to take Rekka back from Oceania's grasp. "I didn't have the chance to ask her." She flipped Oceania over, taking a good look at her. _It has been five years._ She thought to herself_. Oceania sure has changed a lot._

It was then she noticed a small mark at the side of her neck. _What's this? _She thought. Flipping the blonde hair of the unconscious spy over, Cissnei saw a tattoo on her neck. It was a tattoo of the sun. "That's strange…" She murmured.

"What's strange?" Reno asked, peering over.

"She has a tattoo. She never had that before." Cissnei lapsed into silence. Unless Oceania had a terrible personality change, Cissnei was sure Oceania once swore never to deface her body with tattoos because they 'ruin the beauty of the female body'. "Oceania doesn't like body tattoos." She frowned, curling her hair behind her ears.

"What is the shape of the tattoo?"

"A sun. With nine rays." Cissnei counted again to be sure. "Yep. Nine sunrays."

Reno leaned closer for a better look. "I saw that exact same tattoo on Leto." He remarked.

Cissnei's head shot up and looked at him. "You sure?"

"No doubt. Same place on the body too."

"So… if we can safely assume that tonight, all guests who have the same tattoo would be our Wutai spies?" Cissnei frowned. "It's most probable that the tattoos are a new form of identification. We… we never saw the faces of our comrades, since we work individually." She shuddered. 'Working alone, together.' was a battle strategy that her anti-Shinra group leader always believed in. Apart from Oceania, she didn't know who was in her anti-Shinra group. Oceania was her only friend. Now staring at her old-time friend, lying on the floor, Cissnei felt a tinge of sadness and even compassion…

Reno placed a hand on her shoulder. "No." He said firmly. Cissnei nodded. She was grateful to Shinra for their help in her life. Her leader brought her up to be the fighter she was, but Veld was the one who brought her up to be the _human_ she was.

Standing up straight, her eyes were now full of resolve. "Let's go bring down some spies." She said simply.

* * *

><p>With a clearer goal in mind, the happenings of the party were predictable. President Shinra was escorted quietly out of the scene by Kido and KK. Tseng instructed Meia, Cassie and Rude to be in charge of building lockdown. As Kunsel hurried off to inform his supervisor of the news, Meia forgot the events of the night, focusing ahead on the task at hand. It was her first time working as a Turk, even though Veld had yet to officialise her. Mason followed Cissnei and Reno with the organization for suspect identification.<p>

It took many hours before the people were cleared out of the building slowly. SOLDIERS were very efficient that night, it was clear that the Director of SOLDIER, Lazard, was prepared for a situation like this and had previously alerted the SOLDIERS for any suspicious movement during the party. With some effort and unity, the case came to an end when the Turks found the last three suspects that followed Oceania. Reno and Mason took charge of the identification. Cissnei kept quiet, observing at a corner. The spies need not know that the child that they sent to infiltrate Shinra six years ago stood before them now. To Cissnei, her past died with her the minute she wore the Turks' suit.

With commendation of the Turks and SOLDIER by President Shinra, the year safely drew to an end, bringing along with it many more challenges and life problems for Meia and the Turks.

* * *

><p>GASP! Reno doesn't like Meia! Hahaha, it'll take some time before he does, please don't leave my story just because I 'lied' about RenoxOC :P but personally I like the gift that he got for her. Hehe.<p>

I'm sorry about making the party end so abruptly. I've still got tons of content to clear ahead of me, so I think I can afford to shorten this unimportant chapter =P

Anyway, I really enjoyed the balcony scene. Reno's joke present never failed to make me laugh 'cos I can always imagine Meia's skeptical look. And I also tried to make it more… game-like by stating that earrings give magic +10 and are sold in Rocket Town (according to FF7, not Crisis Core :P).

Did you all notice that in Advent Children Reno's eyebrows are brown! *gasp* Whatever it is, I like Reno as a redhead. So he WILL be a natural redhead here. Just thought I'll share with you in case anyone is wondering.

And… you DO know that the song that Cissnei was singing is "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" from Disney's "Lion King"… right? Well… it was totally random but hey, Cissnei has her childish moments too.

Okay I'm really humbled and grateful for the reviews and alerts. Thank you very very much. As you noticed, I'm still uploading nicely within one week. Hopefully next week on I remember to upload again! If not I guess you can see me in August!

Samantha Sheffield has a new story! After the successful completion of "Storm", she has created a new story! Do check it out!

Okay all, adieu till then! Do read and review! It'll mean a lot to me.


	15. I'm A Turk!

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 15 – I'm A Turk!**

-April, Year 0000-

In the dark alleys of Junon, a fourteen year-old girl pulled the arm of her nine year-old sister. They were running in the shadowy alleys for their lives. Her pursuers were not citizens of Junon and that gave the older girl a better chance at hiding from them.

She pressed her sister and herself against the brick wall of a building, her heart was pumping madly. She pushed her rimless glasses against her face slightly, when her younger sister spoke.

"Sister?" The older girl looked down at her. "Who are these people? Why are they chasing after us?"

"I don't know." The older girl held her sister close to her, smoothing her sister's hair. "Don't worry, I'm here. I won't leave you."

She thought about the three people who appeared at her house just a few minutes ago. There were two men and a woman, wearing navy blue suits and weapons in their hands.

"We're from the Turks." The woman with short blonde hair said simply. "By orders we are going to take her," The woman pointed to her sister. "Back with us to the Headquarters. If you resist, we won't hesitate to take action." Her hand moved to touch her gun in the holster.

The older girl had no idea what the woman was talking about. One of the men, the one holding two guns, was equally scary as she was. But the man on the woman's right, holding nothing in his hands, looked a little sorry for them.

"Wh… What do you want with my sister?" The older girl held her little sister's hand.

"She will prove to be a valuable asset to Shinra." The man with two guns said calmly. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind, would they?"

The older girl glared back at him in utter disgust, appalled that he would even mention their deceased parents. With an angry retort, she kicked the wooden trapdoor on her floor and both of them jumped into the darkness below, bolting the trapdoor from the inside. _This would buy us some time to escape._ She thought then.

A soft 'click' of the gun made the older girl snap back her thoughts. To her horror, the three Turks were standing in front of them.

"Not a very good way to hide, Shalua Rui." The woman said simply.

Shalua blinked. "How did you…"

"We're the Turks, there's nothing too impossible for us." Replied the unarmed, burly Turk stoicly. "I suggest you surrender your sister and you'll have your chance to live too."

"You are not going anywhere with my sister!" Shalua held a protective arm over her sister.

"Don't make me do this the hard way, child." The man with two guns glared at her menancingly.

Shalua was about to said something nasty in return but suddenly she felt a soft hand hold her arm. "Sister." Shalua turned to her younger sister. "They only want me, isn't it?" The younger girl smiled, her voice was innocent and gentle. "As long as I follow them, you will be safe and I will be too, right?"

"No…" Shalua pleaded. "We must be together!"

Her sister ducked beneath the protective arm of Shalua and boldly stepped in front, facing the Turks. "I'll follow you." The little girl smiled. "Please don't scare my sister anymore."

The woman nodded at the burly man, who then carried Shalua's younger sister gently on his back.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY-" Shalua was interrupted as the woman delivered a powerful knock on her head to make her faint.

When Shalua woke up, her head still throbbing from the impact, it was dawn again. She frantically searched the area for her sister, but there was no sign of her. As if she nor the Turks never existed in the straits of Junon. Filled with nothing but grief, she tossed her head back and roared.

"SHELKE!"

* * *

><p>Professor Timothy reported to Veld in the morning. Veld nodded for Timothy to enter the meeting room. "Please take a seat." Said Veld kindly.<p>

Timothy straightened his papers and sat down at the table, sitting on Veld's right. On Veld's left, Tseng sat, opposite Timothy. His face was unreadable, but his eyes showed a slight interest in what the scientist has to offer for his last report on the newest addition to the Turks. Beside Tseng, Alana sat with her own notes ready. Her hair was brushed neatly and her oval face was slightly powdered with makeup, a result of a talk with Reno recently.

"Let's get the boring things over and done with." said Veld with a chuckle. He turned to Tseng. "How has Meia been with her academic work?"

Tseng nodded. "Meia has been reading extensively. With the use of a dictionary and encyclopedias, her knowledge is vast and rich. She is able to calculate and compute fairly efficiently and has recently asked to stop Mathematics lessons."

Veld nodded. "She has my permission. What of her interactions with the Turks?"

"Over the past six months Meia has been cordial with the Turks, being especially close to Cissnei, Leia, Reno and Rude. She has maintained her polite terms with us still. The Turks have yet to complain to her of her attitude and her behaviour." Tseng replied the leader of the Turks, without any use of notes. His frequent observation and interaction with her didn't require him to use any notes. Veld looked very pleased as Tseng finished his report.

Turning to Meia's mentor in gun handling, Veld asked. "Alana?"

"Yes sir," Alana answered, nodding. "Ever since I started training her to use the gun, I am happy to report that Meia is very proficient with the handgun. Her aim is almost accurate, if she puts her heart into it. However, when she's distracted, she's terrible. More discipline is needed for her to shoot well despite her distractions. I wouldn't recommend her to be out in difficult missions, but I do strongly recommend her to start work soon. Six months have been pretty tedious for a hyperactive child like her." Alana paused to look at her notes again. "I did, however, catch her one day trying out two guns. It seems that in the future she would consult Kido more than me."

"Two guns?" asked Veld with interest. "Is she good on her own?"

"Of course, she isn't expert at it. But she has been practicing a lot. If she proves to be good in using one gun and Kido doesn't mind the extra task, it would be interesting to have her try the double guns. But my guess is that she wouldn't be ready till next year."

Veld nodded. "Thank you, Alana, for your help to Meia. Professor Timothy?" The scientist looked up at Veld. "Thank you for providing us your invaluable knowledge in the research for Meia the past six months. Could you tell me more about your research now?"

"Yes, sir." Replied Timothy respectfully. "The following is my report on Meia's progress, six months after she has entered Shinra as a Turk. Her eidetic memory continues to improve, recalling previously learnt information a lot quicker than six months ago. Physical health examinations conclude that Meia's body is healthy and functioning well like a human being. Her body is definitely growing like that of a normal human, reaching puberty at an expected age, so there are no abnormalies."

"What of her mentality?"

"I'm sure you have noticed, but Meia no longer behaves outrightly like a six year-old. Gone were the days when she jumps and climbs railings in the Shinra Building." Here Timothy's mouth twitched into a small smile, recalling the time when she attempted to climb the infrastructure of the Sector 1 Train Station, digitalized in Training Room 49. "She has also become more aware of things that most children her age are aware of. Now, an average human's personality and personal values are formed through the experience and emotions felt from age 3 to 8, that is, when her mind is of a little child. It is likely that even though Meia's personality and values will grow to maturity, but a small bit of childishness might remain. Maybe these fragments of her childishness will show occasionally, but it becomes more of a personality than a maturity drawback."

"That isn't a problem to us," Replied Veld casually. "As long as they do not pose a hindrance to Meia's growth."

Timothy readjusted his notes. "After running a few tests, here are her combat stats. High Magic, High Dexterity… The rest of her stats are fairly average, but weak in strength." Here he suddenly looked at Veld, his eyes shifted uneasily to Tseng and then to Alana.

"Speak, Professor Timothy." Veld prompted.

Timothy stood and bowed towards Veld. "Please forgive me, Mr. Veld." He said apologetically. "I seem to have taken things into my own hands."

"What do you mean?" Asked Veld with a calm tone, but Tseng knew that that could change if Professor Timothy made a wrong move.

"As you know, Meia's ability to learn quickly and store information is quite exceptional. So… I pushed my research a little and I have a few discoveries. She can juggle Materia well."

"Juggle…" Tseng trailed off, knowing the scientist did not mean a circus act but not knowing exactly what he meant.

"As we all know," continued Timothy, his paper was now rolled out in front of Veld for visual aid. "Normal humans can comfortably equip 2 Materia. Equipping more than that would most likely bring about side effects. Lower HP, lower HIT… the list goes on. As SOLDIERS because they are infused with Mako energy, they are able to withstand more… maybe up to 6 or 7. For Meia… her brain seems capable of withstanding the side effects of Materia."

Veld straightened up in his chair, now visibly interested to see what the young scientist had to say. "Please go on," He asked. "As far as I know, we who are not infused with Mako have terrible difficulty equipping more than 5 Materia, though it's not impossible."

"Yes." Timothy nodded. "I equipped Materia for her one at a time. She used her gun with Fire and Thunder, and Cure, Blizzard and Quake on a four-slotted accessory I found. A clashing 5-Materia combination. She had a little trouble after the fourth Materia, but she was not very hindered by its side effects." Here Timothy laid a new proposal in front of Veld. "I propose training her with Materia usage and battle, while I research on the best possible ways to make use of her new talent."

"I'm very impressed with this." Veld commented, taking the proposal into his hands. "I shall read through the proposal and give you my reply next week."

"I have informed her of this capability. So she'll no doubt start to research and maybe even purchase Materia on her own."

"What say you about this, Tseng?"

Tseng nodded upon given permission to speak. "Everything that Professor Timothy has reported is accurate and true. I have observed Meia's progress in Training Room 49. I believe this unique ability gives her an edge over other gun specialists. As for everything else, I can vouch for Meia's trustworthiness and I recommend her to become a full-fledged Turk as soon as possible."

"Very well, she shall be given permission to do Turk missions." Veld finally decided. Tseng nodded his thanks, even Alana drew a small sigh of relief, for six months of observation was not easy for the little girl. "Next, I would like to ask Professor Timothy another issue."

Professor Timothy looked up. "What is it, sir?" He asked.

"Regarding this girl that the Turks were tasked to kidnap just this morning…"

Professor Timothy stiffened. "I am not allowed to reveal information on the subject that is under the Science Department." He said slowly but politely.

"Yes, but the Turks were the one who captured her for you. In fact, President Shinra has ordered us to house her until further notice." Veld crossed his fingers and gave Timothy a long hard stare. "It is for our safety that we know who we're dealing with. I'm sure you can afford to provide us with some information. You are the second in-charge after Professor Hojo, isn't it?"

"No, I'm not. The second in-charge is-"

"A man who is in that position only by name. We all know who the real right-hand man of Hojo is." Veld smiled. "You are the one who knows your stuff. I believe we Turks can benefit from this curiosity."

Timothy hesitated slightly, but relented eventually. "Very well. The girl whom you've just taken into custody today, is a girl named Shelke Rui. She has a rare gift of SND – Synaptic Net Dive."

"SND? What does that mean?" Asked Alana, frowning.

"It means that she has the ability to communicate with the Worldwide Network, to retrieve information and who knows? Maybe she can communicate with subconscious thoughts and memories." Timothy gestured as he explained. "Think of her as a computer, or a natural informant. With the correct equipment, we can draw on her power and benefit Shinra. For all you know, and this is something that I'm merely hypothesising…" He looked at Veld in the eye. "If Shelke is able to connect with subconscious thoughts of the sentient beings in the Planet, it's possible that we may not even require the Ancients to gain knowledge on the location of the Promised Land."

At the mention of the 'Ancient', Tseng cleared his throat ever so slightly, but Veld noticed his subordinate's actions.

"Yes…" Veld commented slowly, watching Tseng as he spoke. "If Shelke can communicate with the supernatural beings of the Planet, the Neo Midgar plan would not be such a distant dream. Then again… if my subordinates work hard at capturing the Ancient, we wouldn't be having this conversation now."

Tseng turned to Veld and slightly bowed in humility. "I sincerely apologise for my tardiness in capturing Aerith Gainsborough. But I…" He trailed off when Veld waved him off. Tseng fixed his gaze back at Professor Timothy. _Veld was obviously more interested in Shelke Rui than Aerith Gainsborough,_ Tseng decided with small relief.

"However, President Shinra has sent orders for her capture, not because of SND, but because he is hoping that through her, SOLDIER can be better equipped for combat. I suppose, Mr. Veld, that I've told you more than what you've asked me."

Veld nodded, taking a sip from his coffee, cold and untouched since Professor Timothy started on Meia's new talent. Veld thanked Professor Timothy and the two Turks for their time and dismissed them, but not before stopping Alana.

"Yes, sir?" The gun user turned to her leader.

Veld smiled as he looked at her properly. "You look… different. Anything good happened recently?"

Alana flushed. Truth was, she hardly wore makeup, not seeing the need to do so. Reno sat her down and seriously discussed the courtesy and formalities of makeup to her. Alana didn't know how trustworthy the carefree Turk's words were, but she applied a bit of makeup, just in case. "Not too much, just a little bit to strike the balance between looking overdone and looking professional." Reno had explained, choosing the most practical words that would appeal to Alana's practicality. After much thought and weighing of pros and cons, Alana decided to give it a try.

The woman decided to be truthful. "Reno recently persuaded me to put on makeup, nothing more, sir." She replied a little stiffly, inwardly wondering if Reno preferred a bullet through his left or right shoulder.

"For once Reno did something nice." Veld mused. "I appreciate your efforts to look presentable when meeting me, thank you." He smiled to himself. "I thought you might have a new love recently or something, if you pardon my nosiness."

Alana shook her head, surprised by her boss' comments. "Not at all, sir. However I regretfully report that makeup is not something that I like to use. And I do not have any lover to distract me from my duties as a Turk."

Veld laughed. "I'm sure you want to marry someday, wouldn't you? Don't worry about the makeup. It's all for formalities, isn't it? As much as I want all my Turks to look presentable, I don't force my Turks to do things that they don't want to do."

"Thank you for your understanding." Alana replied politely.

* * *

><p>If one was lucky, they can find a girl sitting at the tables at the side of the Floor 56's cafeteria. Her black glossy hair was past shoulder-length, and curled up at the ends. She wore her hair down today, instead of two buns. Her small figure told of her recovering malnutrition, but she certainly was fleshier than five months ago. She sat cross-legged, taking a bite out of her blueberry waffles and flipping over a page of 'Digital Mind Waves: A Guide". Her hazel eyes skimmed through the pages of the book hungrily, pausing but for a second to read the sentence again. Her lips were glossy from the butter on top of the waffles and they were moving soundlessly. On her clear and almost translucent skin, a blueberry stain found its way onto her cheek, but the girl barely noticed.<p>

"Meia?" Tseng's voice interrupted the girl's reading.

Meia hastily flipped her book shut and stood up. "Good morning, Brother Tseng!" She smiled.

"I'm here to congratulate you. By Veld's permission, you've become a full-fledged Turk."

The hazel eyes widened in surprise. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?" She cried excitedly. Tseng shook his head. With an excited 'whoop', she shook Tseng's hand with vigour. "Thank you, Brother Tseng!" She thanked again and again. "You have NO idea how boring things have become around here! I'm feeling a little stifled, if you pardon my honest opinion."

Tseng frowned, his stoic face now full of disapproval. "Is it me or are you sounding more and more like an educated Reno?"

"What's wrong with being like me, yo?" Reno's voice was heard before they saw him appearing at the doorway. "And what's with 'educated Reno'? I'm smart enough!"

"Brother Reno!" Meia exclaimed, her face breaking into a genuine smile. "I'm a Turk! I'm a Turk!" She bounced on the spot in ecstasy.

Reno's face was full of joy. He held his hands out for her to run into. "Little Meia is all grown up now!" He exclaimed, swinging her around.

She laughed as she was being spun around. "I thought you were going to give me a hug, I'm getting dizzy now!"

"Ain't putting you down till you say the magic password!"

"Argh, Reno! I'm not a kid anymore!" She roared jokingly. "Put me down!"

Tseng cleared his throat and Reno immediately placed her down, sheepish smiles were shown on both Reno and Meia's faces. "Meia."

"Yes, Brother Tseng?" Meia straightened her shirt subconsciously.

"There will be a meeting at the Turks' Lounge at 1500 hours. Please be punctual."

She inwardly gave a sigh of relief. "Okay. Well now, my lesson is about to start. See you around then!" Meia quickly gathered her items and left the cafeteria.

Tseng turned to Reno, his face already saying a thousand words, but he only chose to say his name. "Reno."

"I know, I know." Reno made a face. "It's just hard to imagine that months ago Meia was fine with 'magic password' games. Nowadays she uses words that even I don't use."

"It's a little hard to imagine, yes, but please… do keep up with her." Tseng advised as he walked away, but Reno caught a smirk from him. Scoffing, he followed after Tseng, ready to volley a next wave of arguments.

* * *

><p>Hello! It's been a while! Schoolwork has been a hassle, but my students have been the most adorable things ever, so it made teaching a lot easier to handle! Besides, the two week wait was pretty appropriate since the chapter starts on a new year! XD Hope you haven't forgotten all about me XD Now some comments on this chapter:<p>

Awww COME ON, Veld was NOT hitting on Alana =P I was just trying to prove a point that Veld truly cares for the Turks and doesn't merely see them as instruments for Shinra's needs.

I really like how Alana wondered if Reno preferred a bullet through his left or right shoulder. XD for some reason I just like it XD

By the way, the ability of Shelke communicating with the Planet to find the Promised Land? Just an extension of what I researched on, it's not canon, but I simply made the inference myself. Just another example of times when I impress myself, wahahahaha!

Okay I know I tend to sound cocky in my author's notes, saying how awesome I am but you guys know that I'm just kidding right? I am damn proud of my work, but I do accept feedback humbly so please don't judge me! XD

Okay… if now you're still NOT sure who is who… Shame on you! But since I'm so forgiving (another cocky moment!), I shall list their names out here again.

**Characters**

Meia: protagonist. You don't know her? PLEASE reread the story!

Reno, Rude, Tseng, President Shinra, Kunsel, Zack Fair: … I'm SURE you know them right?

**Before Crisis Turks**

Cissnei: Shruiken (Female)

Leia: Martial Arts (Female)

Alana: Gun (Female)

KK: Knife (Female)

Cassie: Shotgun (Female)

Mason: Martial Arts (Male)

Kido: Double Guns (Male)

Haato: Katana (Male)

Veld: Head of the Turks, before Tseng took over in FF7.

* * *

><p>Thanks for the reviews and alerts once again! I'll try to update by the end of the following week! XD<p> 


	16. Shelke

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 16 – Shelke**

Being a Turk did not mean that one was superhuman. Although Meia was disciplined enough to jog every morning, it definitely did not mean that she was excited to do it. She often found herself in the hot shower longer than she needed, there were days where she was a little lazy and she ran a little lesser than usual. Regardless, as much as her body allows, she jogs a few kilometers a day.

The other Turks weren't as disciplined as her. They occasionally went for cardio training, but usually they were fit enough to skip a few days because their regular missions were enough exercise for them. It was a common sight for Meia to walk into the cafeteria and see a table of Turks having breakfast and waiting for her.

Today, Meia ate breakfast not in the Turks' cafeteria, but the SOLDIER one. Breakfasting with Kunsel and Zack proved to be a difficult task. It was hard to swallow when everything Zack did made Meia want to laugh.

"And there I was, surrounded by a crateful of baby chocobos!" Zack's rich expression supplemented his exciting tale of his latest mission. "Then I was calling Angeal and screaming for help, but all he did was say," Here Zack did a striking imitation of Angeal's voice. "'Figure it out yourself.' I mean, what kind of mentor leaves you in the lurch?" He complained as he threw Meia into fits of laughter again.

"A good and honourable one." a deep voice spoke behind him.

Both Meia and Zack jumped at the new voice. Looking up, she saw a tall, well-built man with raven black hair. Despite the intimidating 1st Class SOLDIER uniform, he had a kind smile. The Shinra standard SOLDIER sword and another larger, broader sword hung on his back.

Not missing a beat, Kunsel stood up and saluted. "Good morning Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth!"

"Angeal!" Zack choked slightly. "What a surprise…" He said lamely.

"A good mentor does not spoonfeed their disciples. What honour does a SOLDIER have if he only does what he is being told?" Angeal said calmly.

Meia remembered a joke that Cassie told her, something about the Turks being the brains and the SOLDIERS being the brawn. She wisely kept that inside joke to herself. Not wanting to look rude, Meia quickly stood up from her chair and greeted as well. Bending slightly to her right, she peeked past Angeal.

It was her first time seeing the famous SOLDIER Genesis and Sephiroth. Genesis's flyaway-hair made the first class SOLDIER's demeanor somewhat aloof, but not in the lazy nor casual way. Rather, Genesis Rhapsodos looked nothing more than gentle and civilised. Meia noted that Genesis seemed to like red (or variations of it) because his coat and even the sword that he carried with him were maroon, a striking complement to his muted copper hair.

Sephiroth was as beautful as what KK told her (Yes, KK has a considerable amount of admiration for the General, although she would never admit it). His silver hair rippled and shone, an unusual yet fitting contrast to his tall frame. Meia consciously had to look up in order to see the legendary SOLDIER that inspired many others to join Shinra's elite fighting group.

"Who's the little girl?" Genesis looked up from his book, his blue eyes came alive with interest.

"She's Meia, from the Turks." answered Kunsel.

Genesis made a move as if he wanted to take a closer look at Meia, but Sephiroth grunted, walking past Genesis without as much of a glance at her. "Let's go." Sephiroth said, walking ahead first. "Don't want to miss our training session." Angeal gave a short wave to Meia and strode off behind Genesis.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess," They could still hear Genesis reciting LOVELESS, his black leather boots tapping in rhythm with his reading. "We seek it thus, and take to the sky..."

"Ripples form on the water's surface, the wandering soul knows no rest..." Meia murmured to herself but trailed off when she saw the odd glances on Zack and Kunsel. "What?" She asked defensively, taking a butter knife for mock protection.

"Meia…" Kunsel sounded highly amused behind his helmet. "Please don't say you're a LOVELESS fan as well?"

"Oh!" She laughed and placed the silverware down on the table. "I did read that piece a while back… It errr… that quote just kinda stuck in my head." She giggled nervously.

Zack and Kunsel shrugged and talked about something else instead. Meia sighed in relief. _Keeping a low profile is much harder than I thought._ She thought wistfully as she scooped a spoonful of yoghurt. Soon she excused herself from the two SOLDIERS, saying that she had a Turks meeting to attend soon.

* * *

><p>"Good afternoon, Turks." With his semi-monotonous voice, Tseng started his weekly meeting. As the meeting rattled on with reports and assignment updates, Meia couldn't help but notice a girl sitting in the corner of the Turks' lounge.<p>

The girl was sitting, legs placed together, in an armchair closest to the wall. A small petite figure, she seemed to focus all her attention on the cup of hot cocoa in her hands. The girl's copper hair flared out a little at the ends, similar to Meia, though they didn't curl as much as hers. Meia couldn't help but wonder why she was there. _A new Turk perhaps?_ She mused, excitement bubbling inside her. It would be fantastic to have someone else her age. Meia hastily tried to direct her attention back at Tseng. As a Turk it would not be professional to be that distracted. The other Turks almost paid no attention to the new figure in the room.

However, the Turks were not unaware of the addition.

"So…" Reno said, dragging the vowel, as soon as Tseng concluded his discussion. "The important question now is… who's the kid over there?"

Turning to the little girl, Tseng replied. "This girl is brought here to Shinra by Alana, Mason and Kido so that she can be better observed. The Turks are to keep her on close watch till further notice."

Haato catcalled from the back of the group. "This kid is going to be a bee-youu-tee when she grows up, you know what I mean?"

Leia shook her head in disgust. "Why did that sound so familiar?"

"Because the sucker said the same thing to Meia six months ago." Reno growled.

Meia coloured. Choosing not to acknowledge anything, she looked at Tseng. "She's not going to be a Turk?" She asked, a little hopeful.

"President Shinra has plans to induct her into SOLDIER." Tseng said. "If she is successful, we're looking at the very first female SOLDIER. But for now, the Turks are to ensure that she is safe."

"Female SOLDIER huh?" Meia beamed at the quiet girl. "I guess you must have a lot of skill, to be chosen into SOLDIER!" The girl lifted her head for the first time to look at her. Meia noticed how her blue eyes had a nice wash of grey over it, like faded blue jeans. The little girl smiled innocently back at Meia, but she was still too shy to speak.

"The President believes that she has potential to excel if she were to be in SOLDIER." Tseng continued.

Meia stood up and walked over to the little girl slowly. She knew the fear of being in a foreign environment and didn't wish to threaten the younger girl at all. "Hi!" Meia cocked her head to the left, looking at the younger girl. "What's your name?"

"… Shelke." The girl said softly.

"Shelke? That's such an adorable name!" The girl smiled a little at Meia's compliment. "My name is Meia! Pleased to meet you!" Meia beamed.

Leia also stood up and walked over to Shelke. "I'm Leia." Leia held her hand out for her to shake. After that, in the most efficient manner possible, Leia introduced the rest of the Turks to Shelke.

When it came to Reno, she was interrupted by Cassie. "This," She said with a slight dramatic flourish. "Is Pedo Reno."

"Hey!" Reno yelled angrily. "Don't use such words in front of a child!"

Meia laughed, blushing again. It has been a long-standing joke the Turks shared regarding Reno and herself, since they spent a lot of time together. _However, Brother Reno and I are really just family!_ She thought in her head. _Also… _

_Brother Reno likes Sister Cissnei._

* * *

><p>She found that out from, surprisingly, Kido. Cissnei and Reno were squabbling in the cafeteria about the difference between a normal apple and a Banora apple. Kido simply commented, "Things never change about them, do they?"<p>

Meia, who happened to be eating with him in a table further away (the rest of the Turks left for their missions already), commented innocently. "They've always been this close?"

Kido nodded into his coffee. "Reno likes her."

She almost spat out her chocolate milk. "… Really?" She asked, sounding as casual as she could manage.

"Ever since he became a Turk." Kido continued, peering at Meia through his cup of coffee. "I'm not too sure if he still does though. They've always been pretty close. We did our fair share of teasing, but we never saw any advancement in their relationship, so we simply stopped. Soon we were so used to their closeness, we no longer brought it up ever since."

Meia scrunched her face up, not exactly sure if it was a response to Reno and Cissnei's history, or that she couldn't imagine the poker-faced, serious Kido teasing Reno.

"Hey, don't give me that look of disbelief." Kido frowned at Meia. "I'm not as bad as I look, I just prefer not to tangle myself too much with such frivolities."

Meia stared at her blueberry waffles and decided to ask Kido anyway. "Why are you telling me all these?"

Kido frowned. "I'm just letting you know about them, since it is hard not to notice how close they are."

The girl reddened in response. "It's… it's not as if I am affected by them, anyway!" She exclaimed.

The older Turk looked at Meia. _If you say so._ He mused in his mind, but decided not to probe further in case the girl became upset. "Anyway, I'm not implying anything, or starting any discord between you and Cissnei." Kido deadpanned. "I doubt they ever will begin a relationship." He slapped apricot jam on his toast with the speed and dexterity he showed in his dual guns. "Cissnei doesn't like guys like Reno."

"Brother Kido… knows all these stuff?" Meia asked, her voice full of wonder… and a hint of skepticism.

"I observe." The solemn man answered. "Observation is a handy tool that we ought to learn. Actions always speak the true emotions of one."

"Brother Kido… never thought of being in a relationship?" The girl asked tentatively. She hardly talked to the serious dual-gunner, although that didn't stop her from imagining all possible back stories of the mysterious Turk.

Kido looked at Meia briefly. "Once you've seen enough of the politics and the ugly nature of people in the slums… sometimes you don't even want to…"

"Procreate?" She offered.

Kido smiled at her choice of words. "Man is indeed a creature of ugliness. Love… is a territory that is foreign to me. My former boss was probably the epitome of pure lust." Kido replied, sniffing his coffee before he took a sip. Meia could never figure out the rationale of that action, even though Kido once explained that it was a habitual action rather than a rational one.

"Your former boss was from the slums… right?"

Kido nodded. "He was a Don."

"A…"

"A boss in charge of criminal activity in his area." Kido explained simply. "Don't bother finding out about him, Meia. My advice to you is, if you see him remotely near, run."

Meia shuddered, but she tried not to let Kido see.

* * *

><p>Meia's mind quickly snapped back to attention once she heard Tseng's voice. "I have something to announce." As the Turks turned to face Tseng, the raven-haired man patted Meia on her back. "Effective tomorrow, Meia will be an official Turk."<p>

His simple words were welcomed by a thunderous applause.

"Well done, Meia!" Leia smiled widely.

"About time you become a full-fledged Turk!" Mason joked.

"I'm proud of you." Cissnei smiled, pulling Meia into a hug.

Tseng spoke over the congratulatory wishes. "Here." He handed Meia a box. "This is a present from Veld, congratulating you on becoming a Turk." As Meia took the box, he placed a hand on his hip. "I think you'll find it very useful."

"Open it!" Urged Cassie, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

Meia looked at them questioningly. "We get a gift as a reward of being a Turk?"

KK laughed. "More like… 'This is for you, now that you're a Turk. Please use it wisely.'" Mason snorted at KK's accurate imitation of Tseng. Tseng frowned but chose not to argue further.

Meia gingerly opened the box, afraid that the item inside might be fragile. When she saw the glowing orb resting on a cushion, she almost dropped the box in surprise. "Ma… Materia?" She exclaimed.

The same words were echoed by the rest of the Turks.

"No fair!"

"All I got was an EMR and a handgun!"

"Does she even know how to use it?"

Rude asked Tseng if he knew why Meia received materia instead of a gun. In a few words Tseng explained Meia's ability to equip more than 3 materia. Everyone sat in a pondering silence until Haato grumbled. "Absolutely unfair! Why did she get such a good present?" He wrinkled his nose good-naturedly. "I didn't receive any present."

Tseng narrowed his eyes at the katana Haato was carrying. "You insisted on your own weapon. Besides, you were not in good position to ask for a present, remember? Shinra rescued you from the death sentence. You should be grateful for that."

Reno explained to Meia that upon validation of their position as a Turk, they would be given a moderately strong weapon that they can use. Apart from Haato and Cissnei, the Turks used the 'gifts' given and neither complained about the quality of the weapon… till now. "Veld sure is biased towards cute little girls like you." He grumbled, pinching her flawless cheek playfully.

"But… Materia…" Kido frowned. "Does that mean that Meia is going to be weaponless?"

Meia looked at Kido in surprise. "No!" She exclaimed. "I still want to use the handguns!" Her face fell once she realized that by giving her materia she didn't have any weapons. Alana assured her that she would be able to borrow a gun from the Turks' Training Room until Meia has enough gil to purchase her own weapon.

Tseng sighed, his face showing signs that the conversation was not going as he planned. "Meia."

"Yes?" She glanced at Tseng.

"The Materia is Aero. One of the last few Aero Materia on Planet. Scientists haven't been able to create another Aero Materia in a long time. I suppose the supply of the Mako stone is depleting. This is a lot more valuable than it looks, but I think Veld knew what he was doing." He nodded at Meia. "Don't let him down."

"Yes, Brother Tseng!" She smiled radiantly, clearly grateful for the valuable gift.

"Tonight you are to patrol Sector 8, starting from 1800 hours. This is standard, first mission for all new Turks. Every Turk has done it."

"Damn right, we have!" Cried Mason, punching his fists together. "Don't worry, it's really nothing much. Just ensuring that the monsters are not around. Direct civilians to safety if needed. Use the PHS if situation arises."

"Okay. I'll do my best." Replied Meia. However, the truth was that her heart was pounding underneath her somewhat calm exterior. She clearly had never been on an official mission. The last time she worked as a Turk, she was only in charge of building lockdown in Shinra's Christmas party last year. What does she need to do in a mission? Need she be in disguise or what? What if she fails? Would they... Meia gulped at the memory of it. Would they kill her?

As if reading her thoughts, Tseng assured the panicked girl. "Don't worry. Failure of this mission does not bring any disastrous consequences." The Turks laughed at his comment. "I've also ensured that the area that you will patrol is not a dangerous area. However, report to me if you see any suspicious activity." Meia nodded, her heart feeling only a little better.

* * *

><p>Meia didn't need to worry at all. Her very first Turk mission was a success. For 6 hours Meia shot down monsters of various shapes and sizes. She wisely refused Materia usage because she has yet to master it. Because of that, she was almost overwhelmed by a group of Hedgehog Pies, if not for Cassie who suddenly appeared to help her. Her dramatic entrance stunned not only the monsters, but surprised Meia as well.<p>

"I know I know…" Cassie grinned into the PHS after taking down the fiends. Meia could almost hear Tseng's disapproving tone. "But Meia was going to die! She didn't use Materia at all! How could I just stand aside and watch?" As she snapped her PHS shut, she grinned. "So much for supervision, huh?" Apparently, there will always be a more experienced Turk nearby to observe the new Turk's work and also… just in case. Meia was glad that Cassie helped out, who knew what could happen to her without anyone around?

Tseng commended her on her decision not to use Materia, while Reno gave a small anecdote where rookie Cassie, wanting to show off her Materia-power, ended up being burnt by her own "Fire". Cassie, who was present as well, laughed it off, saying that she did not regret it still.

"I aim to overcome my own achievements." She smiled, swinging her huge shotgun casually. "There simply wasn't enough challenge in 'protecting Sector 8'." She mocked, twitching her fingers to make quotation marks.

"Too cocky for your own good, Cassie." Reno teased, nudging her.

"But an amazing shotgun specialist, nevertheless!" Meia added. She was visibly impressed that Cassie took out the horde of monsters easily.

She thought back of the time when Cassie implored her not to try the shotgun (A/N: Refer to Tseng's speech in Chapter 8). Cassie's reasons were that she did not like to take a disciple and also because she was a little threatened that an additional shotgun specialist meant less "showing off opportunities". Meia simply did not understand just how arrogant Cassie can be (she still doesn't). However, Cassie was indeed a remarkable Turk and her arrogance was harmless. Cassie's carefree and daring personality was a good contrast to the other Turks, and despite her over-the-top exaggeration and haughtiness, Meia enjoyed spending time with the friendly Turk.

There were much more that she has yet to figure out in each of her colleagues, but like Kido, she has started to observe. With much patience (and maybe a bit of luck), she will eventually understand the other mysterious Turks.

* * *

><p>Huh, another lousy ending! I guess that's my weakness.<p>

Tada! That was the secret storyplot I hidden in Chapter 12 (Rude's words at the end) and 13 (Cissnei confronting Reno about Meia), yes, I hinted that Reno and Cissnei might have some sort of history before. Aren't I the greatest! ... And the most shameless XD

NOTE! I did say that I'll try to keep my chapters within 2500-3500 words BUT for the next few chapters (till further notice) are going to be really long (up to 4000 words). So… when I update, please arrange your time accordingly! At least I warned you!

Upcoming long chapters are… 17, 18 and 19!

Hope to see some reviews! :D At least let me know if you're still reading my story? XD i'll give you imaginary chocobo plushies as thanks!


	17. Heart to heart Talk

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 17 – Heart-To-Heart Talk**

The duo was unstoppable.

Rude was swift and powerful in his punches, one punch was enough to concuss the fighters. Despite his tall build, Rude was surprisingly nimble, an advantage over people his size. His sunglasses never fell out from his face and his face remained a grim expression. With a little bit of effort, he threw his dead opponents over his shoulder and the corpses landed on the nearby dumpster bin. His opponents were awed at how effortlessly Rude fought, there was simply no chance that they could win.

Reno was simply playing all the attackers into his hands. He swiftly kicked against the wall of the building and did a graceful flip in the air, bringing down his EMR on one of the attackers' head. He skillfully dodged another jab from a knifeman and shook his finger at him with a smile, as if chiding him for his mischief. Before the knifeman realized what was happening, the agile Turk has pilfered the knife from his hands and pierced the man through his back.

_What a breeze._ Reno yawned as he grabbed one of the mimions' wrist and twisted it out of its socket. The man yelped in agony but Rude elbowed his chin, instantly knocking him out.

The last henchman fell onto the floor, his face sunken in from Rude's powerful punch. As the two Turks turned to face Esquam, the leader of the gambling den, he trembled. "Please…" He begged. "I'll give you anything… why are you doing this to me?"

Reno took a step closer towards him. His fair face was full of animalistic terror, revived from the intense massacre of his mimions. Reno's shirt was not tucked in, blood from different people splattered artistically over his crumpled white shirt.

"Oh damn." Reno cursed. "My favorite white shirt is dirtied." The redhead tried to smoothen his shirt, while Esquam stared in terror.

"Reno, don't overdo this." Rude advised, folding his arms. Usually Reno preferred to "do the honours", so Rude allowed him to do so. However, Reno always liked to end his missions in a dramatic way, a sight so gruesome it often sent the Shinra infantrymen (when they arrive at the scene to destroy all evidence) hurling their dinner at the sides of the pavement.

"Got it, got it." Waved Reno casually. He knelt down in front of the fearful man. "Sources have it that your gambling den in Sector 4 was a hideout for Wutai spies."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." Esquam squealed, his voice giving way the calm expression he had on his face.

Reno simply chuckled, flipping his hair back. "Forgetful, aren't we? Perhaps this," he tossed a thin piece of leather at Esquam's face. "will refresh your memories."

Esquam removed the piece of leather and looked at it. His eyes widened as he saw that it was not leather, but human skin. The piece of skin had a picture of the sun with nine rays.

"Leto!" Esquam exclaimed, and clamped his hand over his mouth as he realized his blunder.

Reno's smirk gave way to a grin. "Leto… that sure is a familiar name, isn't it? It must be terrible holding on to something belonging to someone whom you've grown to love."

"How… How did you know… of my involvement… and my feelings for Leto?" Esquam asked, his pale blue eyes peering at the Turk in wonder.

"Are you kidding me?" Reno scoffed, his EMR tapping Esquam's head rudely. "We are the Turks. There's no mission that's impossible for us. Leto, Oceania and their other croonies are all captured and executed, your gig's up. You see," He cooed softly as he lifted up the leader's chin with his EMR. "If you had obediently minded your own gambling business and not meddle with Shinra, you wouldn't be in this predicament."

Esquam scrambled onto his knees. "Please have mercy!" He cried in fear.

"Sorry," Reno said apologetically, though Rude and Esquam knew that Reno was merely playing. "I would love to spare your life but," Reno raised his handgun. "Boss' orders are prioirity."

"NO!" Esquam broke down and curled himself up, as if hugging himself could form a protective barrier against the silent handgun in Reno's hand.

"If this is of any consolation to you, Esquam, we only skinned Leto after she was dead. We aren't that... savage, are we?"

"No." Rude's monosyllabic answer was warning enough for Reno to quickly get the job done.

" Well then... Goodnight!" The sadistic Turk gave a feral grin as he cocked the handgun.

The bullet stopped in the middle of Esquam's brain, instantly killing the leader. (A/N: I'm sorry, I'm not going to make this anymore graphic :P)

Rude flipped his PHS open. "Ready for evidence destruction." He said into the phone calmly. After he snapped his phone shut, he took off his sunglasses to wipe any traces of blood and sweat. "Good job, Reno." He commented. "That was the fastest execution I've ever seen from you."

The redhead sighed and sat on the dumpster bin. "You were pushing me to end it quickly." He shrugged. "I was going to have some more fun, actually."

"… Not convenient for the Shinra infantrymen." Rude replied.

The infantrymen filed into the alley of Sector 4, where Esquam's body laid. Reno and Rude stood by a corner, Reno sitting on the dumpster bin and Rude standing beside him. While they monitored the progress of destroying any evidence that could explain Esquam's death, they had their usual talk. It has become a habit for them, to talk a little bit after their missions. Meia called it a "heart-to-heart talk", but Reno insisted it was just "a talk". Any name given to it would be simply… gay.

"I find it amazing." Rude said first.

"What is?"

"That when you are in a mission, you turn into this merciless, sadistic killing machine." Rude gestured at Reno.

"Hey! What do you mean by that? It hurts my feelings, yo!" Reno patted his heart in a mock offended manner.

"…" Rude kept silent.

Reno sighed. He respected Rude as his senior and often felt glad that he was given a chance to have Rude as a partner. However, if there was one thing he couldn't accept, was how quiet Rude can be. Reno often found himself doing most of the talking, not that he minded. Reno was charismatic to a fault and Rude made the perfect complement.

As usual, Reno started rambling. "Well… I guess when I do missions, I don't think about anything. No "Hey, what's for dinner?" or "Check out that hot one!" The only thing in my mind is completing the mission." Reno scooted off the dumpster bin as one of the infantrymen approached him to ask if they could clear up the corpses on top of the dumpster. As they stood in silence, Reno broke it again by bringing up the subject in his mind. "… I don't think Meia can do this."

"She has never killed anyone before, right?" Rude asked. Reno nodded, knowing very well what his partner would say next. "Be prepared that Tseng or Veld would ask her to kill soon."

"I know... But-"

"You know that this is inevitable. Our jobs do not allow us to negotiate and bargain."

"I know…" Reno's words were interrupted by another infantryman.

"Sir, all traces of evidence has been removed."

Rude nodded and thanked them for their help. Reno kept quiet as the infantrymen left the alley, but continued as the last man turned to the main street of Sector 4. "I know she would need to kill eventually." Reno said. "No Turk has clean hands… I just wonder… what would it be like if she killed someone. She's like… some symbol of purity or something."

Rude frowned at his choice of words. "She's only a girl."

"Yeah I know…" Reno frowned at the number of times he said 'I know' in the past five minutes. "I once said to her that her presence bites at my conscience… Way back when she first came into Shinra. I couldn't leave her behind in Sector 4, something urged me not to ignore her."

"Was that why you insisted on bringing her back?" Rude asked, his voice was almost mocking. "Because your heart will feel bad if you didn't?"

"It wouldn't just feel bad. I would feel terrible, worse than the aftermath of killing twenty people." He buried his face into his hands. "Something about her just… makes me feel like I need to look into my heart and repent for my sins… or something. It… It feels as if… If Meia wasn't around, then there is no more 'good' on this Planet." Reno looked up at the nightsky. "She could be the very oasis in the bloodthirsty nature of our jobs."

Rude wisely kept quiet, leaving the noisy Turk to (for once) say no further about his feelings and thoughts. "… Let's go back." Rude said, picking up his handgun and placing it in its holster. "Meia and Shelke are back at HQ watching a rented movie. Meia just mailed us over PHS that they packed leftovers from the cafeteria."

The redhead gave a small smile. "Yeah sure." He checked Rude's watch, stating that it was almost ten at night. "Thank goodness the girls kept dinner for us." He scoffed. "Who would've thought that this mission would take so much time?"

* * *

><p>Ever since Shelke joined the Turks on the Turks floor, Meia has been spending the whole week with the shy girl. She was a pleasant girl to talk to, seemingly excited to be in SOLDIER. Meia found out that she has an elder sister, Shalua, still in Junon, but Shelke did not seem affected by the fact that she was taken away from her. According to Shelke, "The big brother told her that if she did well in SOLDIER, then she'll be able to meet Shalua once Shelke is officially a SOLDIER."<p>

Upon hearing the hopeful words of Shelke, Meia knew that Mason was the one who told her these words. Meia frowned a little. She knew how much Mason felt for the child, he was after all, a softie underneath his strong exterior.

Then again, Meia couldn't criticize Mason, because she too, has conflicting thoughts about what she needs to do and what she truly feels. Meia, on one hand, wanted full loyalty to Shinra, yet on the other hand, she often found herself unable to summon any anger or malice towards anyone, not even the Wutai spies. She knew that eventually she would need to do 'bad things', and the truth was that she wasn't too sure if she could take the pressure.

It was nightfall when Meia and Shelke were in the lounge bar, watching the recent movie named "The Green Lantern". It was Friday and Meia felt a little relaxed from her intensive week of training. The other Turks were out of office again. Apparently there was a new lead in the Leto case. Most of the Turks were dispatched to work on the case overnight, except for Leia, Tseng, Reno, Rude and Meia. However, Reno and Rude were dispatched shortly after, to Sector 4 for another mission.

"We're back!" Reno's voice, crisp and clear, was heard from behind.

"Brother Reno! Brother Rude!" Meia hastily jumped off the sofa and ran into Reno's arms. She hugged him tightly. "Welcome back!"

"Hello, little Meia." Reno felt his shoulders relax and his heart stopped tensing as his arms wrapped around the girl's slender body. "Had your dinner yet?" He asked her softly.

Rude saw that Shelke stood a small distance away and watched their interactions. Was it his imagination? Or did her blue eyes give a slight orange glow?

Not seeing Shelke's behaviour, Meia nodded into Reno's shirt. "The food is on the table behind you. Just heat it up and you're ready to go." She then smelled a familiar metallic smell. Pulling away, she saw the blood splatter on his white shirt. "Eew Reno!" She gagged. "Couldn't you have... changed before coming here?"

"Well, excuse ME if I came here first to say hi." Reno huffed.

Before Meia could retort back, a tall lady with long ash gray hair walked into the lounge. "Reno, Rude." She acknowledged.

"Ahh, Leia." Reno grinned. "What's up?"

"Tseng wants to meet you at his desk in 10."

"We'll be there." Rude replied.

Reno snorted as he placed his hands in his pockets. "So much for dinner." He grumbled.

"… I guess we'll eat it later." Rude replied.

Meia beamed at Rude. "It's no problem! See you later!" Shelke nodded, a little distracted by a realization that sparked in her mind. Meia waved them off as the three Turks walked out of the lounge. "Well, I guess we better stop the movie and go to the cafeteria first to get food for Brother Reno and Brother Rud… What are you laughing about?" She asked of Shelke in a confused manner, but the younger girl kept the secret to herself.

* * *

><p>Tseng didn't have a special room, although he was the second in-command to Veld. However, his desk was nestled nicely in a little alcove-like corner of Floor 57, where the main Turks office was situated in. It provided a semi-private environment for discussions… when the lounge was unsuitable for them.<p>

Reno whistled a random tune while waiting for Tseng to organize his files and folders but finally, he couldn't wait any further. "I didn't think you like working on Friday nights." He taunted.

"Very funny." Tseng replied, un-humoured. He never once looked up to glance at his two Turks. "I didn't use the lounge because Meia and Shelke were there." Reno and Rude did not reply. Shelke was, after all, not a Turk. Finally, Tseng was ready. "Report." Was his simple command.

Reno scratched his head lazily, but Rude answered. "Esquam and his mimions have been completely eradicated. The Shinra infantrymen have removed all traces of evidence."

"Did Esquam say anything?"

"Nothing, yo." Reno snorted. "Just surprised that we managed to find Leto."

"I suppose that Esquam wasn't very involved." Rude concluded.

"That or that Esquam kept his mouth shut till his death." Tseng continued gravely. "KK is leading the investigation for the last Wutai spy in Cissnei's old… team. Mason just told me over the PHS that with luck they'll bring the suspect in tomorrow noon for interrogation."

"No problem," Reno said as he stretched his neck from the left to the right. "Rude and I can take care of this."

But Tseng had other plans. "I intend to let Meia give a try tomorrow." He stated simply, flipping through the folder with Meia's details written inside.

"What?" Reno placed both his hands on Tseng's desk, exclaiming. "She… She's going to do the interrogation?" His blue-green eyes were wide open and staring hard at Tseng, as if he could hypnotise Tseng to decide otherwise.

Rude was surprised too, though his expression and reaction were not as obvious as Reno. "Why?" He asked.

"I believe she should be exposed to things like this." Tseng continued calmly. "It wouldn't be long before she realizes that interrogation is a norm."

"Yeah, but we kill. A lot." Reno placed his hands out in explanation.

"That makes it a norm too."

Reno and Rude exchanged glances. Reno sort of made an uncomfortable expression and scratched the back of his head. "Wee-ell…" He started awkwardly. "I… I think Meia may not be prepared to do this, yo?"

Tseng narrowed his eyes at the two of them. "What do you mean, Reno?" He asked point-blank. "You were the one who kept complaining how Meia is doing absolutely nothing for the past six months."

"Well… not that she's not ready, but you know… she's not _ready_…" His fingers wiggled as Reno furiously thought of a better way to explain, in vain. Soon, he gave up. With a groan of defeat, he blurted. "Please… don't make her kill anyone."

Tseng now clearly looked annoyed. "You're being stupid, Reno. Every Turk will do their job, even if it means killing. How can you be an experienced Turk if you've never killed someone, or experienced death with your eyes?"

"I don't know!" Reno threw his hands up in desperation. "I just don't want her to kill anyone! Make her do paperwork, the intelligence, handling the monsters… just! Just… don't make her kill." He trailed off softly. He bent his head down and his heart was torn between Meia's well-being and his loyalty as a Turk.

Tseng cleared his throat, frowning at Reno's actions. "Clearly, you're not thinking logically. I intend to continue with my plans, whether you like it or not. If you are going to let your heart matters affect your work, don't expect any assignments coming your way soon."

"… Boss." Rude tried to speak for Reno but Reno raised his hand to stop him.

"… I understand, Tseng." Reno's voice sounded a little raw and choked. "I'm a Turk. My work gives no space for emotions and compassion. Pardon me for my brief protest. Please excuse me."

Without waiting for Tseng's permission, Reno strode off. His lanky figure turned at a corner. Rude and Tseng suddenly heard Leia's tone of surprise, and then the sound of elevator doors closing.

"Whoa!" Leia walked towards Tseng's desk. "I thought you guys were taking a long time, so I came up to see if there was anything I could help. Reno left in a hurry." She observed. "What happened?"

"That's something I would like to know myself." Tseng acknowledged Leia's presence. "Rude! You are his partner!" Tseng rubbed his temples. "Explain this madness." He asked, pointing at the empty corridor where Reno just walked out of.

Rude shook his head. "Tseng, you won't get it." He said.

"Are you doubting my comprehension ability?" The sub-leader of the Turks glared at the dark man.

Rude was unfazed by his glare, but answered Tseng instead. "Reno's attachment towards Meia is more than just a brother/sister thing."

"Oh," Said Leia with a 'now-I-get-it' tone. "This again." She mused. "It's really a complicated thing, actually."

Tseng raised his eyebrows. "I thought he likes her."

"… I'm pretty sure that he only treats her like a sister." Rude said.

"I think we need a little background check." Leia concluded with an analytical tone. Turning to Tseng, she gestured. "In the past year and a half as a Turk, Reno has been the most heartless Turks in the organization. While our rookies struggle with compassion and emotional attachment, Reno has already thrown his humanity away, only loyal for Shinra. He did that after _that night._"

Tseng looked away. "That… was a sad thing indeed." He commented, knowing which incident Leia was referring to. "I do admit… Meia does look a lot like her, huh?"

"…" Rude paused for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts or preparing to continue speaking. "Not really. But she does remind Reno of her. … Reno hasn't really been the same ever since that mission. You know how sadistic and unscrupulous Reno can be to accomplish his missions. He is childish and overbearing in Shinra HQ…"

"But on a mission… He is barely… human." Leia shuddered at the memory of her first mission with Reno.

"I get your point on how terrible Reno can get." Interrupted Tseng impatiently. "Why are you telling me all these?"

"… What I want to say is that Reno may be ruthless and brutal in his manners, but after all, he is an 18 year-old boy, barely an adult. He can be sadistic and merciless, but… but I'm sure you know as well as I do, how the rampant killings have tormented him… tormented us… for months."

Rude paused a while and the three Turks looked away, not wanting to comment further about the nightmares and guilt their jobs have brought them over the years.

"What does Meia have to do with all these?" Tseng broke the silence with this question.

"Meia…" Leia said softly. "She is like the manifestation of his good conscience, the one that left him a year ago once he killed that girl… his first innocent. When Reno sees Meia… it is painful. She is this sweet, innocent girl who truly believes and trusts the people that she works with, even though she knew how bloodthirsty they can be. The very image and mention of her eats up the guilt and sin Reno holds in his heart. Yet, he holds onto Meia so tightly, because she is sort of like the proof of the last piece of humanity he has."

"Perhaps if he were to be nice to her, he can atone for his sins for killing that girl." Rude ended the long explanation with a nudge of his sunglasses against his nose. "That's what I've observed, nothing more."

"Apparently only Rude and myself thought this way. Everyone else seemed too eager to conclude that Reno likes Meia." Leia added, a small smile of amusement twitching on her face.

Tseng raised his thick eyebrow at Rude. "That's… quite a lot of words you've put in for Reno. Seems like you're cool with that guy."

"… I get by."

Tseng tossed a folder onto the table. "I have a better understanding of how Reno feels. Nevertheless, Meia is a Turk. She needs to grow up and become a proper Turk. I want to see Meia do this tomorrow. Oh yes, and tell her that Shelke will be transferred out tomorrow morning." Tseng picked up a letter from his table. "Some Shinra infantrymen will pick her up."

Rude glanced up at Tseng in surprise. "Strange," He commented. "… I thought Turks are to ensure her safety?"

"It's about time they stopped using the Turks so much." Leia gave a small snort. "Let the infantrymen do the escorting once in a while."

* * *

><p>Hehe, haven't had such a long chapter in a LONG time (since Chapter 4!) I felt that all the events should be in this chapter, and obviously I was playing a little with description so… I hope you don't mind the random 4k word chapters. Next chapter will be a long one, brace yourselves!<p>

Regarding what Shelke was laughing about… I can't say. It's a foreshadow of the events to come. My only clue is… remember Professor Timothy saying that Shelke can sense the subconscious feelings of people and other beings? Put two and two together and… tada!

I hope you now have a better idea of how Reno sees Meia. Yes, that's the very emotional link that makes Reno so attached to Meia.

Thank you Lady Lucrecia for your review, I am really glad to hear that there are other people reading my story too! And Takara and TWA, your reviews always bring a smile onto my face. And finally thank you to all who alerted or faved! :D Now that my teaching practice has ended, I'll be writing back in full force again :)


	18. Interrogation

**This chapter is dedicated to TifaRokkuHato, reasons to be revealed at the end. It's not a happy chapter, but it is one of my favourites and my first attempt in interrogation. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>I Want To Be A Turk!<strong>

**Chapter 18 – Interrogation**

"… You know what to do, right?" Asked Rude, folding his arms at Meia.

Meia nodded quickly, so that they wouldn't notice how uneasily she gulped at the impending task… literally in front of her. She was standing in the observation room, looking through the one-way mirror at Apollo, the last Wutai spy in Cissnei's old group. He sat with his back leaning against the chair in the interrogation room, his posture carried a nonchalant air. His hands and legs were bound tightly against the bolted-down chair. Meia could not see his face since his head was down all the time.

Even though she was unable to take the interrogation (due to her past connections with the group), Cissnei was present in the observation room to check on the young Turk. Already she noticed Meia's uneasiness. "Don't worry about what happens. If you are unable to do it, just signal them," Cissnei paused, gesturing towards Tseng, Alana, Reno and Rude. "And they'll take it from there."

"Not Rude," Chipped in Reno, a little quietly. "It's his day off today."

Meia looked at Rude with a slight smile. "You came here to see how I'll do?" She asked mischievously.

"… Just to see if you're okay on your own." Was Rude's simple reply. Meia giggled. Although they seemed to start on a rough note last year, Meia had learnt that Rude was not as intimidating as he looked. Meia had grown to like Rude despite his blunt words, and Rude likewise treated Meia with a small amount of affection.

Meia glanced at Reno today. _He seems a little quiet. _She thought to herself, but thought no more when Reno's face broke into a grin at her.

"Your task is easy actually." Tseng said. "Go in, ask the questions that I order later, and once we get the information we want, you're done."

"Scared?" Cissnei smiled at Meia, smoothing out her ebony hair.

"No, Sister Cissnei." Meia looked up with determination burning in her eyes. "I'm not afraid. My job doesn't allow me to be afraid."

Cissnei's smile melted into a suspicious sideway glance. "… Did you just take that line from "The Green Lantern"?"

"Totally busted." Meia stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Hurry up and get inside!" Cissnei grinned a little, shoving Meia lightly. "All the best, little one! I'll be in the lounge waiting!" Before she and Rude left the control room, Cissnei threw one last look at Meia and the suspect inside the interrogation room.

"Meia," She heard Alana call. As Meia turned to face her mentor, Alana pressed a small package into Meia's small hands. "It's a present… from me." She looked slightly uncomfortable at her own words.

The newspaper wrapping the parcel was immediately divested and Meia felt her breath wedged in her throat as her eyes fell on a shiny chrome gun. "Sister Alana!" She exclaimed.

"I realized that Veld wasn't going to get you a gun. You need a good gun to work with, so I thought I can select a gun for you." Continued Alana in the most professional manner. "It has two Materia slots, and has little resonance delay per shot. I think it would be most suitable for you. I hope you like-"

Alana was interrupted as Meia threw her arms around her. "Oh my gosh!" Meia exclaimed. "This is awesome!" She cried. "Thank you thank you thank you!" Alana tried to steady the excited girl, her face showing the smallest of smiles. Meia pulled back quickly, her face was flushed with joy. "But…" Meia said sheepishly. "Can I have the present after the interrogation? You know… so I can tell myself that this is a reward for doing my best in this task?"

Alana made a face at Meia's childish thoughts, but agreed nevertheless.

"Be careful," Tseng advised. "Apollo has been a long-time spy living in Midgar." He stared at the clipboard in front of him. "He has been a merchant in disguise, using his profits to fund Leto's group. He might be able to hide his guilt well. We'll be tracking down this conversation so that if you need help, we'll be able to guide."

"I'll do my best, Brother Tseng!" Meia beamed.

As she skipped out of the door and into the interrogation room, Reno snorted at Alana. "Getting soft, Alana?" He asked in a slight teasing tone, though his expression was not of a joking manner today.

Alana frowned. "It's not your business, Reno. Why are you not as… overwhelming as usual?" She asked of him as well, raising her eyebrow and studying his face.

Reno pulled a disgruntled look. "Not that you'll understand." He mumbled.

"Okay Meia," Tseng spoke into the microphone which sent his voice to the earpiece lodged in Meia's ear. "Please approach the suspect."

* * *

><p>Meia found herself in a room that was immaculately whitewashed. She felt herself shiver involuntarily. The suspect, Apollo, was still looking down. With a gulp, she walked towards the suspect and sat down, opposite Apollo.<p>

"Good day." Meia thought her voice was a little shaky when she spoke. "We're just going to ask you a few questions and I hope you cooperate with us."

Apollo slowly lifted his head up to stare at Meia. His sandy-brown cropped hair and sapphire blue eyes stunned Meia. She let out a loud gasp.

"What's wrong?" Asked Tseng, his voice full of alarm.

The words could barely form on her lips, but Meia managed to choke out. "Mm… Mr. Dexter?"

Dexter looked visibly relieved to see Meia. "Meia!" His voice was like a familiar face in the crowd, warmth of a fire in the wintry cold. His face tensed again. "Meia, you must help me! I'm innocent!"

Meia's mouth was wide open in shock. "Why are you here? What… What do you mean?"

"Meia!" Tseng's voice sounded again. "Who is this?"

"Mr. Dexter is one of the merchants that I ran errands for when I was in the slums." She answered.

"Don't let your guard down with familiar faces." Tseng's voice was tense and full of reproach. "Ask him the questions."

Suddenly remembering that Dexter was a suspect, she hurriedly resumed a stern face, but it was hard. Mr. Dexter was still smiley and cheerful, his dimples were still punctured exactly where she remembered. She coughed a little and asked. "What is your name, mister?"

"Meia, why did you need to ask?" His face was sincere and amused. "You always knew that my name is Dexter, I sell chickens for a living! Please Meia." He stared at Meia, his eyes pleading. "I'm innocent! I don't know why I'm being captured here!"

"He's lying." Tseng's cool voice responded in Meia's ear. "Oceania pointed Apollo as this man. He bore all the characteristics that she described."

"Are you Apollo of the Wutai Wings?" She asked again, trying hard to ignore the battle going on in her thought-filled mind.

"What are you talking about?" Dexter asked, his face confused.

"I ask again, are you Apollo of the Wutai Wings?" Meia stared hard at Dexter, but her mind was bursting full of memories. Of Tihan and herself crashing into his shop every other day to feed his chickens. Sometimes, while Carmelle and Tihan scrubbed the chicken coop, Sunny and Meia would head out and hunt more wild chickens for Mr. Dexter… all these for a few hundred gil, or sometimes a tub of cold water to bathe in.

Dexter looked at Meia level-headedly. "No," He said gently. "I'm most certainly not." Meia looked away, her heart was pleading for Dexter's innocence.

"No." Tseng said simply. "Threaten him."

Meia looked down in a small anguish so she did not see the slightest twitch in the corners of his mouth, but Alana caught it.

"There." She pointed on the window, at his face. "Slight twitching of mouth." She reported.

Tseng acknowledged Alana with a nod. "Continue to look out for tell-tale signs whether he's speaking the truth." Into the microphone he simply said, "Suspect's lying. Shall we bring in Leto's picture?"

Meia nodded at them to show the picture of Leto on the screen in the interrogation room. The room darkened. "What the hell is going on?" Dexter cried fearfully.

She stared at him, as the face of Leto appeared on screen behind her. "Do you, Mr. Dexter," She asked slowly. "Know this woman?" She turned to look at the screen but as she saw the face of Leto, she stared at the screen blankly, stunned by what she saw.

"… Meia?" Tseng spoke into the mic. "Meia!"

Meia shook her head quickly, it all happened in a matter of seconds. "Do you, Mr. Dexter?" She turned back to the suspect again, her face was unreadable. "Do you know this woman?" She asked.

Reno cursed under his breath, he brushed his red hair to the back again in vain. "Damn that liar. It's a bad idea to make Meia interrogate someone that she knew, now what's with her and that picture of Leto? Tseng…"

"We'll see." And that was Tseng's final word.

* * *

><p>For the next 20 minutes, Meia kept unleashing questions on him, and Dexter kept denying all charges. Reno could see that the little girl was exasperated with his answers, because it was going nowhere. However, she kept ignoring Tseng's orders to 'get the information the hard way', refusing to inflict any physical torture on Dexter.<p>

"Come on… we can't do this forever. Please Tseng, let me-" Reno was cut off when Meia brandished her gun, borrowed from the Turks' training room.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dexter." She said quietly. "I really need you to cooperate with my questions, or you'll suffer."

"… I already said I'm innocent! Meia…" Dexter's eyes were soft as they bore onto her hazel eyes. "You knew me as young as you can remember. Heck, with that photographic memory of yours, you'll remember every single thing I did, isn't it?"

Meia stiffened and tightened her grip on the gun. Seeing her reaction, Dexter knew that he finally made a slip.

"Wearing the opponent down so that he'll be more vulnerable to mistakes." Alana observed in the control room. "That's… a basic tactic, but it definitely worked, nonetheless." Tseng made a tone of agreement and approval.

"I suggest you speak up now, Mr. Dexter." Meia said softly, but her eyes were now full of resolve. "How did you know of my ability?"

Dexter released a weak chuckle. "What are you talking about? Everyone knew of your photographic memory!"

Tseng saw Meia stand up and walk towards Apollo. She stood behind him and gently placed the gun on the nape of his neck. "Speak now, or you'll never get the chance to feed your beloved chickens."

Dexter was unfazed. "You know you won't do that."

Meia stared hard at him. Reno saw that her hands were trembling at the trigger.

"It's not over yet." Said Tseng into the microphone. "Do whatever it takes to get him to confess that he's Apollo."

The gun was still held at the nape of his neck. Tseng saw that for the longest time, Meia was silent. He pushed away the slightest nudge of fear in his head. He was afraid that she would not be firm enough to get the proper information out of the suspect, but his anxiety melted into confidence when he saw that her face was losing the characteristic child-like expression and saw that her eyes were focused, but not at the suspect nor anything else in the room.

Finally, Meia gave a sigh and let down her gun. "You're right, Mr. Dexter." She said sadly.

"MEIA!" Reno cried in the control room, but Meia ignored the background noise in the earpiece.

"… How long has it been since you knew about it?" She walked back to her seat and stared at Dexter in curiosity.

"Since you were around five. I saw how you walked around the Sector without any help, and I once caught you reciting LOVELESS. Heck, no child can do that without the script at your age!" Dexter smiled, almost proudly. Meia was one of the most loving children that he has ever met in the slums. Too kind to even hurt a fly, much less a human.

Meia flushed. She thought she was alone when she was reciting the famous play of Midgar. "I do have a great memory, huh?" She beamed.

"Simply perfect." Dexter smiled, visibly glad that Meia's guard was down. "Now do you believe me that I'm innocent?"

"Meia…" Tseng's warning voice came again.

Meia smiled at him. "Yeah, I believe you." She pulled out her earpiece.

"WHAT THE HEL- MEIA!" Reno shouted at the microphone. "Don't believe that lying bastard!"

"Forget it, Reno," Alana said. "She can't hear us. We still have them locked in the room. Let's listen on before we take action."

Dexter's face now showed a full smile. "I'm so glad that you believe me, little Meia. Come here, please undo the ropes on my hands."

Meia placed the gun in her holster and walked behind Dexter. "Remember how I would go anywhere and not be lost?" She grinned. "Even though the times people doubted my ability… you never did, right?"

Dexter laughed now. "Of course, little Meia! Your photographic memory is accurate, anyone would be a fool not to trust you!"

"So I guess that whatever I say is reliable?" Meia's innocent voice spoke behind him.

"Anything that little Meia say is reliable!" Laughed Dexter.

"Even if I say that you are Apollo of the Wutai Wings?"

Dexter stopped… now realizing where the interrogation was going. "Oh f-" But Meia didn't allow him to finish.

"I see you know where we're going with this… Mr. Dexter." She gave a small smile. She placed the gun on the temple of his head. "Last chance." She stated. "Spill everything you know."

Dexter gave a sinister smile. "You won't be- OOPH!" He choked as Meia delivered a sharp rap on his head with the barrel of her gun.

"Oh sorry, did I hurt you?" Meia asked innocently. In the control room, Reno felt shivers down his spine.

"Mind in control." Tseng said simply. "Meia's head is probably full of ideas and conclusions… like she's on auto-pilot."

Meia slowly walked back to her seat, picking up the earpiece. "Sorry about that." She squeaked.

"Ignore us," Said Tseng, his emotionless voice somehow comforting Meia's anxiety and fear inside. "Continue."

The sandy-haired man now looked furious. "Me knowing about your photographic memory doesn't confirm that I'm that Apollo crap!"

"Oh yes, I do know about that." Meia said silkily. "That's why I'm asking you… Mr. Dexter. Tell me why Tori was in your shop then."

"Wh… What are you talking about?" He stammered.

"June 29th, Year 1990." Meia recited, as if she was reading from a script. "Tori, bearing the markings of a sun with nine rays, first came into your chicken shop with an offer you cannot resist. You decided to fund Wutai Wings and be a semi-spy for Shinra's movements." She stepped back a little and continued. "February 3rd, 1992. Mistletoe was the representative to have a report on your progress." She smiled as she asked. "Do you remember September 6th, 1998?"

Dexter stiffened, knowing which incident she was referring to. "No." He lied.

"Allow me to refresh your memory then." She propped her foot on the chair that he was sitting on, the gun still pressed against his head. "Leto came and you had a heated debate with her. On Leto's way out of your shop, she saw a little girl playing by the chicken coop."

"No way…" Dexter swore under his breath.

"Yes way!" Reno now grinned from ear to ear, his heart hopeful on the smallest possibility.

Meia ignored both reactions in the interrogation room and the observation room. "Leto then gave this little girl a small blunt dagger with the carvings of a sun with nine rays, told the girl to keep it for protection." She smiled, a little amazed at the course of the events. "I'm pretty sure you know who that little girl is."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dexter deadpanned.

"Once I have my Turks and SOLDIERS raid your house, they'll be able to find the dagger easily." Meia shrugged, waving her hand casually. "And then you'll have a _pretty_ good revelation of what I'm talking about." She teased the vowel in the word 'pretty', now grinning from ear to ear.

Dexter looked away and refused to look at Meia.

"YEAH WE NAILED IT!" Reno cheered in the observation room, punching the air with ecstasy.

"Don't forget that you and I go WAYY back! I'll definitely remember every single detail that happened in your shop." Meia smirked a little. "Of course I didn't think about all those while I was in the slums, neither did I see Leto's face until just now but… it all came out pretty well!" She smiled radiantly. "So are you going to confess now? Or do you need me to raid your shop and present you the dagger that Leto gave me?"

Alana looked at Tseng. "Shall we dispatch immediately?" Tseng notioned her to continue observing.

Dexter tched in defeat. "There will be no need to raid my shop." He said. "It is as you say, Meia." He admitted confidently. "I am Apollo. Who would've thought that a child that I show care and concern for would turn around and bite me?" He sneered at Meia. "Should've killed you if I'd known this will happen."

"Damn that-" Reno was almost reaching for the door handle leading to the interrogation room, if not for Tseng pulling him back.

"Shoulda, woulda coulda." Meia grinned. "I must thank you for being merciful to me when you found out about my photographic memory. But I don't blame you for being careless. No one would've thought that a slum rat like me could ever be a Turk." She walked back to her seat, though she did not sit on the chair. "So… back to business." She twiddled the gun with her small fingers. "Who else in Wutai Wings are alive?"

"I don't know."

"You don't have room for negotiation and beating around the bush." She warned coolly.

"… No one."

"No one?" Meia asked, her grip on the gun loosening slightly.

"You wiped out every single one of them." Dexter said stiffly. "I'm the last."

"What about your leader?"

Dexter lifted up his head and stared at Meia squarely. "I am the leader."

"You lie!" She shouted. "The leader is a Wutain!"

"I killed the leader, you stupid girl." Dexter rolled his eyes. Even in his compromised situation, Dexter did not sound intimidated. "Haven't you figured out? Wutai Wings is not based in Wutai since 1990, when Tori first came into my shop. Wutai Wings have always been in Midgar, living right under your noses! You get that, Shinra imbecile?" He yelled at the ceiling, as if the President could hear him. "We've been planning on your assassination for years! We may go down now, but it's not the end yet!"

"We've heard enough, Meia." Tseng concluded. "Please dispose him." He ordered.

"Tseng!" Reno cried but Tseng glared back at him. Reno frowned but Tseng returned to the microphone. "You heard me, Meia. Kill Apollo. He serves no more purpose to Shinra anymore."

Tseng saw that Meia stiffened. She took a step back and Tseng clearly saw that she was panicking. "Relax," Tseng's voice was deep and smooth, like butter. "Aim and pull the trigger."

_I can do this._ Meia thought to herself. She looked at Dexter. "Thank you for your cooperation." She said, so soft that any other noise in the interrogation room would cover her voice. "Thank you for... Providing Sunny, Carmelle, Tihan and I with jobs to do, with shelter when our zinc pavilion broke..."

Alana grunted. "She's not going to do it."

Dexter snorted. "Don't take my actions as if I'm a nice man. I have always lived under the alias Dexter so that no one would suspect me." He sneered at Meia. "I have no feelings and affections towards you and your little friends."

Meia stared at Dexter. "You..." Her eyes widen as she realized what Dexter meant. "... Why, Mr. Dexter?" She cried. "You weren't like this last time!"

Dexter gave a bitter and sinister laugh. "Didn't you realise how I always wanted children in my shop?" He tossed his head back and laughed again. "You stupid, naive girl. Not even aware that you were manipulated. Shinra troops hardly raided my shop because of the many kids in my care." He leveled his head back at Meia. "You're far too young to be out in this world. Everyone is out to get the best of you, manipulate you, abuse you. Even your beloved Shinra... Whom I'm sure you now call home, they will turn against you once they know of your powers."

"You lie!" Meia shouted at the man, her hand that was holding the gun trembled a little.

"Don't listen to him!" Reno shouted as he noticed that Apollo's eyes flashed a brilliant red. _What was that?_ He thought, shooting a worried glance at Tseng.

Dexter smiled, glad that he was able to affect Meia so. "This I speak the truth. Once Shinra knows of your memory, they'll have you tested and experimented. Not even your beloved Turks can save you. They don't dare!"

"No..." She pleaded. "You're wrong! You don't even know half of it!"

"If that really happens, I'll laugh at your sorry fate in the Lifestream. To think your three friends died so that you have an opportunity to be a Turk."

"… What?" She frowned at Dexter, fear written all over her face.

"Don't play innocent." Dexter replied with a smirk. "If they weren't dead, would you be thinking about wanting to be a Turk? No, because you still have your friends. Their deaths gave you the reason to be a Turk. But now… Now look at you... Shaking like an aspen leaf... Is this how Shinra train their Turks? Pathetic." He spat with disdain. "You make the deaths of your friends look so useless."

"Don't call them useless, you scum!" Meia growled, her voice shaking with fury.

"Meia." Tseng's voice was wary in her earpiece. "Don't let the suspect agitate you."

Dexter smirked. Even though his identity is exposed, he managed to unnerve her. He craned his neck towards Meia and shook his head in pity. "For all you know, little Meia," He cooed sweetly. "You are working for the people who killed your friends."

"GYAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Meia roared and pulled the trigger.

The bullet shot out of the handgun and marked itself into Dexter's throat. Tseng heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she did her job, even though it was not done in the most professional (nor elegant) way. "Okay Meia, the suspect is dead. You can-"

"SHUT UP!" Meia screamed back at the lifeless body of Dexter.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Each gunshot was punctuated with Meia's anguished scream.

"Berserk." Reno cursed under his breath. "That eff-ing bastard cast Berserk on her!" He stood up and stormed towards the door, but Alana stood in the way. "What the hell are you doing, Alana?"

"Going in without any remedies, nor Materia?" Alana's calm questioning tone stopped him. "You know the effects of Berserk leaves everyone here vulnerable to the victim's attacks." Reno calmed down, but barely. He retorted back angrily how Meia could be stopped. "Leave it to me." Alana replied. "You're lucky I brought Heal Materia today."

Only after she said those words did Reno looked visibly relieved. "… Quickly," He urged. "Before Meia starts hurting herself."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes (for that would be most impolite), Alana walked into the interrogation room. Reno heard Alana's soft voice. "Esuna."

The magic washed over the violent look in the girl's eyes. Reno saw that her hazel eyes dilated, and Meia coughed roughly, as if waking up from a trance.

"Are you alright?" Alana asked, the slightest bit of concern in her voice showing through.

"Mr. Dexter!" She turned in horror at the limp body, still bound together by ropes. As her memory slowly reminded her of what happened, she trembled violently.

"Meia…?" Alana asked, not caring to mask the worry in her voice.

Meia answered by bursting into tears. "I… I killed somebody." She cried. "And I did it in anger. How… how did I even…"

Reno ran into the interrogation room. "Meia!" He exclaimed. "It was not your fault! It was not your fault that you had to kill him! It was… orders." His own voice betrayed his efforts to comfort her.

Meia stood up shakily. "Yes… I'm… I'm a Turk." She said despite her strained voice. "I…" She couldn't finish her sentence, as more hot tears flowed. Mustering all her strength, she ran out of the room.

Tseng hurriedly stood up from his seat. "Where is she going?" He demanded.

"I'm going to find her." Reno was at the door by the end of his sentence. He paused a while to glare at Tseng. "Are you happy now, boss?" He asked. Before Tseng could reply, Reno ran out of the door.

"Reno!" Tseng called after him but Alana stopped Tseng.

"Let them be." Her voice slightly trembled at the thought of the haunting experience for her disciple.

Kido rushed into the room.

"What's wrong?" Tseng asked, his voice now fresh with tension.

"… Security... Shelke…" Even though he was panting, Kido's face managed to maintain an expression slightly more than surprise. "The infantry was assassinated and annihilated while escorting Shelke out of Midgar for the SOLDIER induction program." Kido took a small breath before saying the very words that Tseng feared: "Shelke… she's gone."

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><p>Hi everyone again! Really wanted to continue what happened after Meia shot Dexter, but the chapter got really long so you gotta wait again!<p>

Writing this chapter took me more than a week to mull over and ponder before the full chapter could be churned out. I was having such a hard time fitting the timeline and all the explanations… I'm just glad it's over! This is my first interrogation session, inspired from 'Sticks, Stones and Broken Bones' by ancientbruises. I hope I did well :)

There! Alana bought Meia's gun! See? She's pretty nice too :3

Ahh yes, this is the last scene you'll hear from Shelke. She will never appear on screen anymore, but only as mentions and memories. To those who are not sure who Shelke is, she was kidnapped, initially meant to be a part of SOLDIER, but later on President Shinra preferred that she went to Deepground (a secret Shinra SOLDIER organization that only appeared in Dirge of the Cerberus), so she was brought to Deepground. All Shinra infantrymen escorting her were annihilated to silence information. So Shelke will remain as Deepground till Dirge of Cerberus!

* * *

><p>I hereby thank my reviewers for your support as usual :) I hope that I've not lost your interest yet XD As for what Shelke saw… I'll reveal when the time comes… that would likely be… Chapter 89 or something! WAHAHAHAHA!<p>

This chapter is dedicated to TifaRokkuhato. She messaged me recently saying that she DREW A PICTURE OF MEIA! I was… stunned beyond words, and touched beyond worlds. She was apologizing because it wasn't coloured and all but honestly? I think it's a great honour to me, that she drew Meia. I'm glad that each and all of you feels a small small attachment towards her. It makes me feel so… honoured, so privileged that I actually have (dare I say it?) "fanart". Despite my usual cockiness in my author's notes,** I'm very humbled and very grateful for readers like you who never fail to remind me once in a while how much you like my story.** Because of your awesome comments, I can write endlessly without complaint.

If you want to check out her drawing… it's my avatar now! It'll be there for another few more chapters, for sure!

Enough of A/N, we have many many chapters to go, so I hope you'll enjoy this long journey with me, I hope that it'll be rewarding for both you and I at the end!


	19. Metal Bird

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 19 – Metal Bird**

Reno ran, at breakneck speed, to Meia's room. Ignoring the formalities of knocking before entering, he barged into her room.

"Meia?" He called out.

The room was dark, but he made out a small figure hiding underneath a blanket. He stepped over to the bed and sat at the edge of the bed. Reno gently lifted up the blanket, revealing the emotionless girl. She was hugging her knees and staring at the simple pattern of the mattress. Looking at how her pupils twitched slightly, Reno guessed that the girl was lost in her thoughts still.

"Meia." He said gently.

His voice woke the thinker. Her hazel eyes stared into his own, full of emotion. "… Brother Reno."

Reno is usually an impulsive man, but in an unusual situation like this, his impulse took him by surprise. Reno's lips released a small cry of anguish and he wrapped his arms around Meia.

"I'm sorry…" He said repeatedly, his hands once again finding no resistance in her hair. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop you from this." He hugged her tight and rocked her gently back and forth. "I don't want you to suffer the nightmares that we suffer. I want you to always keep that smile on your face always."

Inwardly Reno cursed himself for that decision months ago to bring her back to Shinra. What seemed like a harmless act of concern has now snowballed into trauma.

Meia's mouth moved almost soundlessly, so much so that Reno had to keep his mind quiet before he could catch what she said. "… I know that I have to do this, I know that this is part of my job. But… Mr. Dexter was such a good man. To see him like this today… it hurts so much inside." She shook her head. "I will get over this, but for now…" She ended her words with a sob.

Watching the little girl burst into fresh tears, heartache tugged inside and Reno wondered to himself how pathetic he looked when he was in her shoes.

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><p>Before Reno became a Turk, he never felt the overwhelming power of fear. Yes, he was consumed with anger when his parents died under the debris fall. Yes, he was willing to surrender to Tseng and die under the skillful Turk, if not for Tseng's offer for Reno to be a Turk himself.<p>

But no, never fear.

Being a Turk was exhilarating. Always on the go, stealth and elegance was their working style. But killing for Shinra made the Turk job more intense. The adrenaline rush that made Reno's heart pumping mad whenever he incapacitate someone, the spring in his jump as he flipped and dodged his opponents easily, the slight resistance of the trigger of the gun as he aimed at his enemy. He felt neither compassion nor sympathy for his victim. They were the ones who threatened Shinra, who threatened the safety of Midgar. _Killing bad people like this justifies my actions._ Reno thought to himself.

He never thought that things would change that fateful night. The mission was simple: Go to the hideout and wipe out everyone who is there. No one must know who did this. Eliminate everyone who might know or might find out.

Reno was skillful, the goons didn't even know what happened to them. He did his job and he did it right. It had always been the case. Tseng and he made a good team.

Tseng nodded approvingly as Reno snapped his EMR shut with flourish. "Let's go before anyone finds out." His superior said.

"Okie dokie." Reno waved aloofly. The two Turks walked nonchalantly out of the hideout when Reno heard Tseng mutter something under his breath. "What's wrong, Tseng?" He asked.

Tseng's face looked slightly troubled. "We've been discovered."

Reno cursed as he flipped out his handgun. "Where are they?" He hissed.

Tseng pointed at a direction close to the ground. As Reno snapped his head towards the direction, he saw a little girl about five years of age squatting on the floor.

Reno choked a sigh of relief, pocketing the handgun back to its holster. "For Gaia's sake, please!" He laughed. "Don't scare me like that!" Tseng said nothing, so Reno walked towards the little girl. "Hey there, little one." He grinned. "It's dangerous here, run along home, 'kay?"

_Blonde hair._ Reno thought to himself. _The girl has pretty blonde hair. _

As the little girl lifted her head to look at Reno, he saw that she had wide, round hazel eyes, full of life and expression. "May I help you, big brother?" She asked.

"Reno."

"Just a minute, Tseng." Reno brushed Tseng away. He grinned. "I need you to go home and not come around here. It's dangerous."

"Reno…" Tseng said again, but Reno totally did not hear the warning tone in his leader's voice.

"Coming coming!" Reno was about to turn around but noticed a metal bird in her hands. "That's really well-done!" He grinned again. "Who made this?"

The little girl beamed. "A nice big brother made it for me for my birthday!" She held it up to his face so that Reno can see it better.

"Reno!"

Reno turned to Tseng. "What?" He asked with a drawl.

"You know what you must do." Tseng said.

Reno raised one eyebrow at Tseng, but soon understood what he meant. "But! … but she's only a child!" Reno cried. "She doesn't even know the people inside, for goodness sakes!"

"But she saw us coming out of the hideout!" Tseng's voice was full of reproach. "Company orders are non-negotiable."

Reno tried again, but the hard-hearted Tseng was insistent. He could barely believe his own ears. Killing criminals and bad people who threaten Shinra's safety wasn't a problem for him.

_But…_

Reno stared at the little girl again. The little girl looked up at Reno, her hazel eyes were almost shining in the dark. "If I were to see that big brother again, do you want me to ask him to make a metal bird for you too?" She beamed.

_Dear Gaia,_ Reno prayed in his heart. _Please make me heartless._

Struggling hard not to cry, Reno only bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut. The scream resounding in his head covered the soft 'ping' as the silencer did its work and the bullet took the life away from its target. As the girl fell over, only did Reno realize that the scream came not from the girl, but inside his own head. The girl died without as much of a gasp.

Tseng said nothing about the wet cheeks on the sixteen year-old Reno.

Now, seeing Meia hugging her knees and losing herself in her own thoughts, Reno thought his mind can go berserk. Reno never gotten over that incident completely, although Gaia did give him the apathy that he prayed for. Hundreds of people, innocent or not, died under his merciless hands after that, but none of them had eyes as piercing as the little girl with the metal bird.

"Meia." Reno was startled at how his own voice trembled.

As the girl looked at him, his heart couldn't help but ache at the glow of her hazel eyes, glistening behind tears. Why did they have such soul-penetrating hazel eyes? He stared back at the hazel eyes that he hated… and loved. Could Meia be a reincarnate of _her_? _That is impossible._ The voice in his mind mocked crudely. _She only died two years ago._ Was the Planet playing a cruel joke by planting Meia into Reno's life? Reno blinked. Will _she _be a subconscious being in Meia's mind?

He hugged Meia tightly, wishing that all her fears will go away. And that all of his will too. He placed her head on his chest, hoping hard that his fast-beating heart did not betray his own fears and that she does not realise later that her hair is wet with salty tears.

Reno has his own fears too.

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><p><strong>(AN: Here we go… fast forward to three months later!)**

July 0000

"This way!" Meia laughed as she skipped down the pavements of Sector 4.

Reno groaned and scratched his red hair in confusion. When Meia said that she wanted to take a walk, he definitely wasn't expecting a trip back to the Sector 4 slums. Reno hated the place. It stank of the sewers, it was dirty and the people looked dull and boring. However, he smiled a little and followed Meia.

Meia walked her way through the familiar place, a small smile was fixed on her face and she was chatting to Reno animatedly and sharing interesting anecdotes of her days in the slums. Reno let out a small chuckle to himself as he saw her child-like behaviour, when he saw his reflection against the shiny metal armour that was now useless scrap metal along the sides of the walkway. Meia had insisted that they wore casual clothes, fearful that the people beneath the plate would disturb them. "Not as if I would blame them." She said softly, thinking of the ruthless things that Shinra did and was capable of, not that Reno or Meia dared voice it out.

Reno checked his own reflection. A simple cream blue shirt so light that it looked off-white. Its short sleeves provided the much needed relief in the hot Midgar weather. Reno thought the shirt matched his red hair for some reason. He wore khaki bermudas and generally, he looked decent, if it wasn't for the fact that he still wore his goggles. Meia said that it made his whole outfit ridiculous, but he wasn't going to take fashion advice from a kid!

"The pavilion is just ahead!" He heard her call him. As he looked up from his reflection, he saw Meia running ahead, her glossy hair flouncing playfully behind.

"Wait up!" He ran after her. She laughed but did not slow down for him. He smiled to himself. Ever since the incident where Meia first killed, it has been almost three months. In the month that followed after Mr. Dexter died, Meia was silent. No one spoke to her unless necessary. She no longer cried about it after that day, but her mind was busy at work. Meia was quiet, yet thoughtful in countenance.

The other Turks did not speak to her not because she was so traumatized by the incident to talk. She would've been put down very harshly if that were the case ("Turks are not to put their emotions and their values in their work"). Rather, she started pondering on many moral values and philosophy such that they found it hard to penetrate her mind. KK shook her head once, commenting that Meia's mind was like a village of scholars gathering together every minute to have hour-long conferences.

Tseng did not give Meia a vacation to clear things up in her mind. When Reno enquired why, Tseng simply stated that Meia rejected his offer. Meia spent the month training hard and reading even more than usual. For a while Reno feared that she would be scarred for life, but when she started talking more, the Turks all heaved a sigh of relief for her. It wasn't long after that month that she resumed her usual personality again.

As Reno looked ahead of him, the running girl suddenly came to a stop. He saw that her face fell as she noticed the small pavilion. Just that it wasn't a pavilion anymore. The roof of the pavilion has caved in and a portion of it fell through, now leaving only the artificial lights from beneath the plate shining through.

"This the pavilion you're talking about?" Reno asked, shifting his weight to his right a little uneasily.

"Yeah." Meia walked up the mini steps. "Sunny, Tihan, Carmelle and I sort of lived here. When nobody uses the pavilion, that is. Anyway the people living around here are quite nice so we were hardly chased out." She kicked a small piece of rubble away. "Cooling in the summer, but in the winter we were freezing." She laughed at the memory of it.

Reno offered no suitable reply to his friend. Although he too lost his parents, at least he spent a few years with them. At least he went to school and had problems which were based on girls, school and boredom. Meia's problems were about survival, money and the lack of parents. He kept quiet and observed the surroundings. The pavilion was walking distance from where he first found her. He vaguely remembered how the pavilion was like, in the rare times that his father (who cared nothing for the class division of the Upper and Lower Plate) decided that a two-hour stroll from Sector 2 (Upper Plate) to Wall Street (Lower Plate, Sector 5 slums) for dinner was most appropriate. He loved the company of his father, but hated the long walk. He often saw children by the pavilion, but never realized that they actually reside in the wall-less structure.

"No way..." Meia's voice caught his attention again. He saw that she was squatting on the floor, her hands were now scrabbling at the rubble and dirt was getting onto her floral dress.

"What's wrong?" He squatted with her as well. Getting only mumbles as reply, he shook his head to himself and helped her clear the debris for something unknown.

"No way..." She said again, pulling out a metal contraption wedged between the debris. It was a simple yet well-built structure of a sparrow. Using only bolts, wires and springs, the bird looked worthy to be sold in shops.

Upon seeing it, Reno felt a nostalgic wave... And it made him so nauseous he staggered a little, for it was not a pleasant memory at all, one that he spent months to forget in vain.

Meia cupped the metalwork in her hands and turned to Reno. "Tihan made this for me!" She was now grinning from ear to ear.

"Why… Why is it here?" He frowned, his brain was trying to remember if it was the exact same thing he saw years ago.

Meia looked up at Reno. "I lost it just a week before you found me. Running from a straggling Hellhouse. Couldn't come back at all... And well, then I joined the Turks so..." She shrugged. She looked back at the rusty bird sitting on her cupped hands. "I'm so sorry it took me almost a year to find you again."

Reno struggled a little with the feelings he had inside. Has it already been two years since that incident? The memory was fresh, but he often fought it enough to not be traumatized. Meeting Meia has refreshed his nightmares of his murders but she was also the very oasis he depended on to make him smile deep inside.

"You know… this bird… I've seen it before."

Meia's head snapped up at Reno. "You did?" She raised an eyebrow, an action that she's been doing a lot recently.

"Yeah…" Reno looked away. "When I was a new Turk, I saw a little girl... playing with it."

Meia gasped. "It's Alyssa!" She exclaimed. "Tihan made one just like this for her!" She explained.

"… Nah." Reno shook his head firmly. He refused to accept the possibility that Meia might know of the girl he killed.

"I'm very sure, Brother Reno." She stood to full height. "Tihan made this metal bird only for two people. Alyssa and myself.

"... Alyssa?" He uttered. His innocent victim finally had a name.

"Yeah, she was the sweetest thing you see. Tihan made the bird for her for her birthday."

"When is it?"

"5th March." Meia looked away. "She was murdered in an alley two years ago."

"I know." Reno said quietly.

Meia turned around to look at him. "How did-"

"Alyssa was killed by Shinra." Reno said through gritted teeth. He walked away from the pavilion, full of disgust at confessing the truth. Reno's hands clenched into tight fists and he frowned at a pebble in front of him, as if he could channel all his anger into the stone. Finally, he said it, soft but clear. "… I did it."

The hazel eyes slightly widened as Meia understood what it all meant. "Oh..." She commented, almost thoughtfully. Reno braced himself. Most people would probe further, blame him or maybe offer a kind word or two, but the quick-tempered Reno did not want that. He waited, his mouth almost ready to snap at whatever Meia has got to say.

But Meia said nothing. As if she knew how he'll respond, she did not approach him. Reno heard her walking from side to side of the pavilion, and a few scraping of the dust on the ground, but no approaching steps. Soon, his anger and disgust with himself began to ebb with the passing time and the silence soothed his breathing. When he turned around, he saw her in her thinking position again, legs tucked in and her hands wrapped around them. The metal bird sat silently next to her. Reno was afraid to speak, for he now didn't know if Meia's silence was due to the fact that she left him alone to cool down, or that he murdered someone she knew.

He walked towards her and sat beside her. "I'm… I'm sorry." He said so softly he could barely hear himself. The two sat in silence, ignoring the casual glances given by passers-by. Reno wondered to himself how it was like to drown in his own thoughts, like what Meia was doing. A man quick to action, the act of sitting down and being in thought was a torturous one. However, he felt for a need to sit with Meia… because he no longer knew the thoughts in her head… ever since she killed Dexter. He needs to know what she feels now… and he was surprised at how important that meant to him.

Reno's thoughts were interrupted when he felt his hands being pried open by a pair of smaller hands. As he looked down, Meia placed the metal bird into his hands.

"… I don't blame you, Brother Reno." She said.

Reno blinked at the bird, cool to the touch. He turned to her. "… You don't?"

Meia shook her head. "Over the past two months I've been thinking to myself, a lot. I thought about Mr. Dexter, I thought about us Turks. I've thought about Mason and how because of his emotions, he can never deliver his work well… and I've just thought about you when you killed Alyssa."

Reno coughed a little. "Meia… I totally understand if you realize that this is not what you expected it to be." He looked away. "I totally understand if you see me as a monster now."

The girl shook her head. "It's not that, Brother Reno." She smiled. "I… I sort of theorized our job as a necessary evil."

"Necessary evil?"

Meia nodded. "Just like a predator in the food chain. A Behemoth devours other animals for food, to maintain and balance the ecosystem. You know… in case there is a massive population explosion among… chocobos or something." She made a face, a little embarrassed at her childish analogy.

Reno chuckled at her expression. "Go on." He urged, much interested at the 'theory' she had to offer.

The little girl nudged a pebble with her foot. "Being a Turk is our job. Our job is to protect the interests of the predators of the Planet. Shinra…" Her eyes almost glazed back into thoughts again, but she blinked quickly to get rid of forming thoughts. "Shinra is the necessary predator on the Planet, to be the guiding leader to mankind's future, even if it meant unethical methods."

Reno grunted. "Necessary predator, huh?" He grinned.

"Uh huh. Most importantly, the nature of our jobs needs us to be ruthless and merciless, but..." She looked up at Reno, conviction gleaming in her hazel eyes. "But we are not ruthless and merciless on a personal level, are we?" She giggled. "Sister Cissnei and Leia are the nicest people around, even Sister Alana isn't mean. Brother Kido and Brother Tseng are stern but they aren't unapproachable. And…" Meia held his hands gently, and Reno marveled at how cool her hands were despite the summer heat. "And I most definitely don't think you're a monster, Brother Reno." She smiled warmly into his turquoise eyes.

Reno half-gaped at those wise words, said from the little girl's mouth. He stood up abruptly. "Let's go, yo?" He grinned half-heartedly.

Meia nodded, picking up the metal bird with her slender hand. They walked together, but neither spoke a word. For once Meia's mind was clear and free of thoughts, but Reno's mind was working now.

He knew that Meia was intelligent and well-versed, but he did not expect such mature thoughts from a girl so young. He frowned and tried to argue back, but the assuring words that he wasn't a monster sank into his heart and they calmed the internal storm within his heart. If Meia could see him not as a monster… maybe he really is not one.

Reno looked up and saw a familiar sight. "… It's been some time since we were here huh?" Reno commented, staring at the very same spot where he found her.

"Eight months." She said softly. Reno saw that her eyes starting flitting a little, a tell tale sign that she was thinking again. Just a brief moment later, she looked up at Reno. "Thank you." She smiled.

"What for?"

"For… finding me back then." She walked slowly around the pavement in a randomized, circular shape. "For nudging me and for taking me back, even though you could've left me there for dead." She narrowed her eyes at the pavement, most likely thinking of how it would've been if that were to happen.

Reno ruffled her hair. "I should say thank you."

Meia smiled, looking up at him. "What for?"

Reno kept the answer to himself.

* * *

><p>I have a tendency to blab and blab, so for this chapter, I shall make it … concise. I try.<p>

**(A/N: written in July) **

GOSH I FINALLY PUSHED MYSELF TO FINISH THIS. Took me almost 3 weeks to churn this out. Recently my chapters are long, I'm trying to tie up all loose ends in time for Crisis Core and Before Crisis.

Regarding Reno's attire in Sector 4, it was a random thing to show that Turks do have other clothes apart from suits (LOL). I think Reno looks great (in my head anyway), so review if you agree!

**(A/N: Recent) **

I've decided to categorise A/N with time markers. I have tons of thoughts when I write so I want to tell you what I'm thinking. The time marker is also to let you know when I wrote these chapters. Recent A/N refers to my thoughts prior to uploading the chapter.

There will be lots of time skips so be alert to the timeline =)

After more research, I conclude that I need to get my characterization in check. You might see the personalities of BC Turks change a little.

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and alerts! I've been having dance rehearsals everyday (except Sunday) for more than 4 hours each time. I'm looking forward to the performance next Sunday (21st August). Despite the fatigue from dance and the mental strain from stupid politics and backstabbing, I am energized because of your reviews and encouraging words. Cheesy as it may sound, you readers have no idea how much your reviews mean to me whenever I switch on the computer hoping for a review! Writing this story has been a great channel to relax and enjoy myself and imagining your happy faces when you read my story pushes me to write even more. So thank you to all my readers, known and unknown, for being here for the story, for Meia, for me.

See you in the next chapter!


	20. Injured

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 20 – Injured**

August 0000

When Meia and Kunsel walked into Training Room 49 together, they were surprised at what they saw. The main room adjacent to the control system was dark and flashing angry red lights. Even the room where the control system is situated in was dim, with a few scientists working on the machines.

"Whoa," Kunsel took a step back in surprise. "What happened here?"

"Ah, Meia, Kunsel." Greeted Professor Timothy, walking over to them. "Training Room 49 is down for the next few weeks." He grinned in spite of the situation. "We're trying to get it up and running as soon as possible, but looking at the damages… I say at least 5 weeks."

"But… But what happened?" Meia asked concernedly. "It doesn't look like a malfunctioning machine or glitch. More like… an accident." She shuddered.

Timothy shrugged. "Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal."

Kunsel groaned. "Ah hell." He cursed. When Meia looked at him questioningly, he answered. "Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal often sparred in the Training Room, though sometimes they get carried away." Kunsel shook his head behind the SOLDIER helmet. "The last time they did something like this was… a year or so ago. You weren't here yet so I suppose you know nothing about this."

Meia felt herself shiver, but she knew it was not because of the air-conditioning in the Training Room. Instinct told her to naturally stay away from the three 1st Class SOLDIERS.

"It's a little different this time round." Timothy said. "Genesis was hurt."

"He's injured?" Meia asked. "Is he going to be alright."

"Well, he said it's a scratch so I guess he'll be fine." Timothy shrugged. "Anyway, there's nothing you can do here. Come back in a few weeks' time."

As Meia and Kunsel walked out of Training Room 49, Kunsel shrugged. "My, that's a bummer." He said. "Was hoping to work on that Aero."

Meia nodded. She has told him about the Aero Materia, though she wisely kept quiet about her being able to equip multiple Materia. "It's alright," She said. "I can always practise it in the Turks' Training Room."

Kunsel laughed. "But I won't be able to see it! Since we can't use the Training Room, come," Kunsel said, pulling Meia by her hand. "Let's peep at Zack's training, shall we?"

* * *

><p>The lackey's vision of Reno blurred and darkened as he felt the impact of the Shinra EMR. As he fell over, Reno smirked and retracted his EMR.<p>

"That's the last of them." Rude said calmly, taking off his sunglasses to wipe the blood splatter.

"Been a few months since we worked together, huh?" Reno grinned. For a period of time, Rude was tasked to work with Leia on other matters. This mission was somewhat like a 'reunion mission' for the two partners.

Rude nodded, more focused on cleaning his sunglasses than to give a meaningful reply. "Mm."

As he slipped on the shades again, the two Turks took a good glance at where they were. The Sector 3 slums looked almost as dark and miserable as the Sector 4 slums. It was quite a known fact that nobody lived here… Nobody important, anyway. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that the Turks were tipped off anonymously of an anti-Shinra gathering in the Sector 3 slums, they wouldn't want to enter Sector 3 either.

"What a creepy place, yo?" Reno shuddered involuntarily. "To think just two sectors down, Sector 5 is positively brimming with excitement and commerce." Rude smirked at Reno's comment. Reno tapped the retracted EMR against his left shoulder. "These sector slums need to buck up, you know what I'm saying?"

Rude flipped open his PHS, sending orders for the infantrymen (or 'clean-up crew', as coined by the duo) to do the area cleanup. When he snapped his PHS shut, he asked. "How has Meia been recently?"

The redhead shrugged. "It's been almost 3 months since the Dexter incident, I'm sure she's feeling better now." He walked a little towards the end of the walkway, where it was darker. "Though Veld put her on probation to better observe her. She won't be able to do missions that are out of Midgar… till further notice. It's pretty bad for a Turk like her to be on probation technically for a whole year." He frowned. Usually Turks are ready for missions within three to four months of training.

"… Veld seemed a little unwilling to release her as a Turk despite her… incapabilities." Rude commented, earning a glare from Reno.

"She's trying her best, Rude! Don't be too hard on a little girl!" He shook his head. "Whatever it is, she's much better. For a while back then I thought she's gonna be all mopey and depressed, but she picked up real quick."

The quiet man gave an uncharacteristic snort. "Better than you, perhaps."

Reno made a face, but gave in as well. "Yes… she fared better than me I suppose. She gave a whole long lecture about us Turks being the necessary evil… or something like that."

Flipping open to check the new message in his PHS, Rude commented. "Clean-up crew coming in just a bit." He surveyed the area. "… I suppose Meia has her own innocent thoughts still."

"Tell me about it, yo?" Reno replied with a drawl. "Honestly, all that she's saying… they really felt good then to hear it. I feel like redemption is available… even to monsters like us. Then I went back to my room and suddenly that hope…" He frowned as he recalled the feeling. "That hope seem to disappear."

The taller Turk walked a few steps ahead of Reno and turned to him. "… Don't be too hard on yourself." He said quietly. "Meia wouldn't like to see you like this, and you wouldn't like to see your special little girl unhappy, would you?"

Reno's eyes widened. "Meia is not-"

His words were interrupted as Rude suddenly cried out. "Behind you!"

In that instant Reno marveled to himself how cold the metal blade from the sword felt as it ripped through his skin and muscles.

* * *

><p>Meia was talking to Melissa, the woman who provided free potions to SOLDIERS (herself included), when the front doors opened and Rude rushed in. It was a rare sight, for only Shinra administrative employees use the front door for entrance and exit. Usually Turks and some SOLDIERs use the back door from the carpark, since it's a shorter route to the elevators.<p>

"Hey Brother Rude." She smiled. "Don't you have the back door-"

"Reno is injured." Was the curt rejoinder. Rude briskly walked past her and straight for the receptionist.

Meia paled at the news. She exclaimed, "Is he alright?" But she soon had her answer as the entrance doors opened again, revealing a group of infantrymen carrying a stretcher. "Brother Reno!" She ran towards the stretcher. The paramedics did not stop for her, but continued their way to the elevators that were located through the exhibition hall. (A/N: Remember Crisis Core?)

The wounded Turk was covered with a white blanket, his head was sticking out of the blanket. He gave a sheepish grin. "Hey, little one." He smiled.

"Where are you injured at?" Ignoring the disapproving looks from the paramedics, she tried to push the blanket away but he stopped her.

"I'm topless. I won't have you ogling at my body!" Reno grinned.

"Good grief, Reno!" Meia retorted indignantly, though her face was blushing. "It's your wound I want to see-"

"No, Meia." Reno said slowly but firmly. He pushed her small hands away. Despite his weakened stature, he had a strong grip on her hands. "I don't want you to see any nasty things. You don't forget them, remember?"

"Re-" She tried to argue but gave up. She gave a frustrated sigh and turned to Rude as he approached them. "Brother Rude! Why did Brother Reno get injured? Wouldn't some potions be able to ameliorate his pain?"

Reno laughed weakly from the stretcher. "No potions for me, Meia." He grinned. "Family history of diabetes."

"What?" Meia exclaimed. The elevators door slid open, interrupting whatever Meia wanted to say. The stretcher, paramedics, Meia and Rude entered the elevators and the elevator made its incline.

Rude pushed his sunglasses against the bridge of his nose. "He's just keeping a strict diet. He's not diabetic… yet."

Meia nodded, momentarily distracted by the new information. She was aware of how exceeding sweet the potions can be. It was as if she was drinking liquid sugar, and even for a sweet tooth like Meia, it was a little hard to consume. She could understand why Reno would not touch potions.

Anxiety crept back into her heart as she noticed Reno nodding off to sleep. "Brother Reno?" She called but there was no reply. She tugged at her hair, now tied in two ebony pigtails. She often pulled at her hair, a tell-tale sign that she was worried. "Is he alright?"

Rude tapped his partner's cheek. "Passed out." He concluded simply.

"What was the wound anyway?"

"Reno was stabbed from the back by the opponent. We didn't manage to kill him on the first shot, so he sneaked up on us." Rude's gaze went to Meia. "Almost punctured his lung."

Meia shuddered. First Genesis, now Reno. _Is getting injured something that everyone plans to do together? _She mused, entertaining that childish thought in her head. As she watched the unconscious Reno on the stretcher, another thought began to form in her head.

* * *

><p>When Reno woke up, his head was pounding. He tried to sit up but an acute pain in his right chest caused him to groan and lie back down again.<p>

"Awake?" He could hear Rude's voice in the corner. From the corner of his eye the clock on his bedside table told him he was in his room and it was afternoon.

Reno groaned. "Gosh, dude!" He complained, feeling the dryness of his throat. "Did you watch over my bed from last night till now?" He cringed. "That's just gross, man."

He could hear the muted contempt in Rude's voice. "It wasn't last night." Rude said casually. "You've been unconscious for two days."

Reno sat up, wincing horribly at the pain. "Two days?" He exclaimed as much as his chest allowed him. "I was out for two whole days?" He stared at Rude, who was leaning against the wall.

Rude nodded. "Since you passed out in the elevators. Didn't know that you were such a wimp." He gave a wry smile behind his sunglasses. "Besides, I just took over watching you, even though I didn't want to. Meia insisted that I stay here and watch over you."

"… Meia?" Reno smiled, even his pain felt a little better at the thought of the cheerful girl.

"She was the one watching over you the past two days." Rude drew himself to full height and walked towards the door. "Only left you for meals and training. She even slept here, on the chair over there." He cocked his head towards the chair next to his bed.

Reno shook his head. "Where is she now?"

"I suppose she's training. We told her to get some sleep but she wouldn't listen." Rude shrugged, his hand is still on the door knob. "She did say that she'll pop by the Training Room later to try something different so…" Without completing his sentence, Rude walked out of the door, closing it behind him.

The slightly dizzy Turk straightened himself on his bed and scratched his head. _I suppose I should find Meia to see how she's doing… and ensure she gets some proper rest._ Reno gingerly stood up but nearly fell back on the bed when the door of his room burst open. Rude stood at the door again.

"What is it?" Reno asked casually.

"I've managed to hide it from Tseng the real reason why you were distracted and you allowed yourself to be injured." Rude said, stone-faced. "Don't be so careless in the future."

"Hey! If you haven't been so utterly random about mentioning Meia I wouldn't have-" His words were cut off by the closing of the door.

* * *

><p>Although fully equipped, the Turks' Training Room is not as advanced as Training Room 49 and most definitely not have the technology of virtual reality. Since it is located on Floor 52, right next to the Turks' archives, the Turks' Training Room is fairly large. Unlike Training Room 49, the Turks' Training Room has many rooms. Upon going through the main doors, one would find himself in a long corridor with at least 6 smaller rooms for personal or group training. If a Turk managed to book the room a week in advance, he or she can request how the room can be prepared in.<p>

Meia sat on the cushioned floor of the Turks' Training Room (as requested herself). Using Aero was a lot harder than she thought. In fact, using magic was a difficult branch of study in the first place, if you had minimal chance to train. Meia didn't own any Materia apart from Aero, although it was a low-levelled Materia, it can be strong if uncontrolled. She closed her eyes and thought of what Professor Timothy said: Imagine in your mind how you want the magic to do your job. Is it a breeze? A storm? A hurricane? Focus and the power of your magic will increase.

Despite her good intentions to research and recall further what Professor Timothy taught her, her mind kept drifting to Shelke.

"Shelke…" She uttered softly. "Where are you now?"

To say that she was shocked when she first heard of the disappearance was a understatement. For many days in her month of solitude, she often wondered about Shelke. Why was there a disappearance? Is she safe? Where were they when it happened? Why… Why…

_Why didn't Shinra do anything about this?_

It brought chills down her spine every time she thought about it. Over the past year, she knew a little better how… determined (_For lack of a better euphemism,_ she thought.) Shinra can be when they want to meet their goals. The 'kidnap' of a valuable asset to Shinra would most likely send them on their phones and activate relevant personnel to 'capture' Shelke again. Therefore, to have little or almost no actions… it was almost as if Shinra had planned it all along.

She trembled, even though the room was not very cold. She hastily shifted her thoughts on other things. Sometimes she feel as if her thoughts are speaking so loud and clear, they are exposed to anyone in the room.

Meia missed seeing the shy but cheerful girl. She had been a good companion, even though her company was short-lived, Meia found a friend in her. If Shelke is alive somewhere… Meia sure hoped that she will be well-taken care of.

"I'll continue to work hard, Shelke." Meia said to herself as she picked herself up from her sitting position. "So… wherever you are…" Her words softened and slowed as her hand gripped onto the chrome gun again. "Work hard at living too."

* * *

><p>(AN: July)

Don't worry, Reno is not diabetic. He's really keeping his diet strict. As long as he doesn't overwhelm himself with sugar, he'll live without diabetes :P And of course, this little thing is planted as a reminder to myself that 'thou shalt not write characters as perfect'. Therefore, obviously Reno's condition is NOT canon.

* * *

><p>(AN: Recent) **(VERY IMPORTANT!)**

Someone mentioned about the lack of Kunsel scenes. I didn't know you guys like Kunsel! But I think after the next chapter… if you all still want Kunsel, just holler for me and I'll see what I can do =P

Okay, I suppose you guys have no idea why I keep ranting about how long the story will be. Let me give you a rough idea. We're seeing like… a hundred chapters here. 0.o *pause to let the information settle in* Remember folks, I'm doing a story that spans from a year before Before Crisis and Crisis Core ALL THE WAY to the beginning of Advent Children. I'll leave you to think about how many chapters that can potentially contain.

AS SUCH! I want to ask all of you to decide! **Do you want me to split this whole madness into a trilogy (ideally, BC/CC, FF7 and Pre-AC) or should I lump it all up into a 150 (yeah I'm actually thinking it might amount to that!) chapter!**

Actually I'm starting to feel that the trilogy might work because I can focus on details and such without worrying about the amount of chapters. However, through personal experience as a reader, reader views do dip with every sequel =P So I guess the onus is on you readers!

**Also!** **Are you guys able to stomach 4000 word chapters?** If you guys can't, I'll shorten them to 2500-3500 chapters. While I want my chapters to be nice and coherent, it'll suck if you guys are rushing through my chapters. :3

**Both questions can be replied using PM, review or poll! Your responses will really do me a world of good! You guys should do the poll, I placed extra effort to make the polls looks fun to do =P**

* * *

><p>Thanks again for the reviews! So blessed to see TifaRokkuHato and Midnightcrescent27 back again! It's a pleasant pleasant surprise!<p>

I've received a review from two new readers (Orange and LoreilDarksky00). Ooh! It's such a nice feeling to see new reviewers… though my usual reviewers will always be loved and appreciated =) *gives chocobo-shaped cookies to TWA and Takara*


	21. Love

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 21 – Love**

Reno walked into Training Room alone, immediately noticing Meia standing in the middle of one of the rooms, floors cushioned. Giving a small smile, he stood outside the room, watching her train.

The shiny chrome gun that Alana gave her was in her right hand and Reno immediately noticed the green orb equipped onto the base of the gun. Meia's face was full of resolve and Reno realized that even though she was aware of her interesting ability to manipulate multiple Materia, Meia has yet to fully master magic. He was about to enter the room when the words of Alana reminded him of his over-protectiveness. "You'll stunt her learning curve, if you were to continuously help her." She said stoically. Reno often wondered why even in a personal conversation, some Turks insist on formal speech. He shrugged. He knew that he should stop being worried for Meia, if not she'll never learn how to fight properly.

_Refrain from helping. _He sighed (wincing a little when his chest hurt) and shifted the weight of his body to the left, feeling more comfortable and stared on at what was going on in the room.

Unaware that she was being watched, Meia took a deep breath. The past few times she was unable to get the Materia to work, Professor Timothy mentioned that she was distracted. "It would take some more practice before you can use Materia easily while doing other things." He had explained.

She took a deep breath again, but this time a much deeper breath. Her mind was filled with gusts and breeze. As she exhaled, she said, "Aero."

The wind picked her up and in her surprise, she screamed. Her concentration broke and she fell onto the ground. She rubbed her tailbone, glad that the cushioned reduced the impact.

"… There was wind." She said breathlessly. The moment of being airborne came as a shock, a surprise and excitement altogether as one. "There was wind!" She hastily stood up again and grabbed her gun which was lying on the floor. "I will master this." She said to herself.

The next twenty minutes proved that it was not an easy task at all. Meia lost count of the number of times she fell and she was sure that she'll enjoy an array of bruises tomorrow. Still she pressed on, her mind only thinking of the goal ahead. She constantly thought of ways to improve her magic skills and her brain worked hard at creating links and conclusions.

She took a smaller breath, her mind clearing itself to imagine herself in the grassy patch with Tihan, Sunny and Carmelle in her dream. It was a cool breeze that passed the land. _That's what I want._ She thought to herself.

"Aero." She breathed out. Her voice was so soft she couldn't hear herself. However her efforts finally paid off as she felt a gentle breeze blowing through her, rippling the tassels on the cushions playfully.

She stared at the rippling tassels in amazement. "I did it." She said, stunned by what she saw. "I… I really did it."

"You sure did, yo?" Reno's voice was heard behind her.

She spun around and smiled radiantly at the sight of the redhead. "Brother Reno!" Her joyful expression quickly became one full of concern. "Are you feeling better? Why are you out of bed already? Have you taken your lunch? Wha… What's so funny?" She gave a puzzled look as Reno laughed.

"Hey you two." A voice called them.

Meia turned to see Cissnei at the doorway. "Hello Sister Cissnei!" She greeted, beaming.

Cissnei cocked her head towards the elevators. "Marshall and Patricia are back."

"No joke? It's been a long time since I saw Pat!" Reno's face brightened up. He grabbed Meia by the hand. "Let's go, Meia!"

* * *

><p>The Turks' Lounge was buzzing with activity when Reno, Cissnei, Meia and Rude (following behind) arrived.<p>

"Where have you been?" grinned Cassie. "Marshall and Patricia are finally back!"

"So I've heard!" Reno grinned. He walked past her and tapped the shoulder of a woman. As she turned around, Meia noticed her glossy black hair, styled in a pixie haircut, and blue eyes. She was a little taller than the height of Reno's shoulder. Her face was mature with some age, but the twinkle in her eyes as she gave Reno a hug told Meia that she was far from being elderly.

"Reno!" Her voice was neither high nor low-pitched. "Good to see you alive and kicking still!" She turned to Rude. "And my favourite Turk-advertisement model, Rude! Still as solemn as ever!" Reno and Meia laughed, while Rude politely returned her hug.

"Where's Marshall?" Reno asked. Cassie nudged a slender boy next to the woman.

"… Hi Reno." He said shyly. He was blond and slender, as if he was frail. His hair that was covering almost half his face reflected his shy nature, but Meia saw that his eyes were a pretty blue, like Alana's.

"Marshall barely gained any weight!" Cassie exclaimed. "I thought you two went for a vacation!"

"I'll answer you once I take a good look at this new face." Before Meia was prepared, the woman walked over to her. "I'm Patricia, what's your name?"

"Meia." She grinned, already liking Patricia's bright personality. "I'm a new Turk, so I still have much to learn."

"Patricia is like the mother of us alley cats." Cassie gave a side smile. "Fussing and fussing over our welfare and development."

"She's also worked with Veld in the earlier years." Said Haato when immediately he received a hard tap on his head by Patricia's EMR.

"Don't go around revealing my age!" She grinned.

"She's 29 this year." Reno whispered into Meia's ear.

"Reno!" Patricia frowned.

Meia glanced at the man whom they call 'Marshall', prompting him to speak first. "I'm Marshall, pleased to meet you." He smiled shyly.

"He uses the nunchaku, but his real talent is that he's a master of shapeshifting." Explained Cassie.

"Shapeshifting?" Meia asked. "Like magic?"

Marshall laughed, it was gentle and light. "I'm not as good as a master." He said humbly.

"Perhaps you should show Meia what you're capable of." Grinned Reno.

"Me?" Marshall now looked shyer now that most attention was given to him.

"… It would be most entertaining." Said Rude.

"Even you, Rude?" Reacted Marshall, and everyone laughed.

Meia gave Cassie a questioning look, but all Cassie did was grin and assure her that she would be very impressed.

"So how was your vacation?" Asked Rude to Patricia.

"It was not bad, the 12-month vacation did us some good." Patricia smiled.

Marshall continued. "We visited the Icicle Inn and stayed in the Bone Village for many months before we came back."

Patricia laughed. "We tricked the villagers saying that we are archaeologists. Not a single soul knew that we were Turks, except one little boy." She looked at the ceiling, recalling his face. "His name is Jasper. Cute little boy, blond, curly hair. Rich kid's son. He kept his promise till the end never to reveal our identities."

Marshall turned to Cissnei. "We dug many things, and some suitable metal for reinforcing Rekka." Cissnei's face brightened upon the thought of upgrading of her beloved shruiken, she gave her thanks.

The attention was mostly directed at Patricia and Marshall, so Meia had time to walk around the lounge and talk to Haato, Mason and Kido. She glanced around the room and saw Reno talking to Patricia. He wore many expressions, changing constantly with the words that Patricia said. Meia was sure for one thing, Reno may look carefree and aloof, but he looked completely relaxed and unguarded whilst with Patricia… like how an alley cat would become tame and domesticated with the human that it trusts.

Meia made a thoughtful pout and wondered if it's ever possible that Reno would…

"Meia?" Cissnei called from the other side of the room. "Mason kinda spilled juice on the floor. Could you grab a towel to clean that up?"

"No problem!" She smiled and left the lounge wondering which towel in the toilet is most suitable to absorb juice.

* * *

><p>The lounge had a little balcony where Turks can step out of to enjoy the good wind and the noise of city life below. The balcony was a little lower than the lounge (like a split-level house), so people had to walk down a 3-step staircase to the balcony.<p>

Katherine, or KK, arrived at the Turks' lounge a little later than what she expected. After excitedly hugging Patricia and chatting with Marshall, she noticed a small figure sitting on the steps leading to the balcony. Excusing herself from her conversation with Mason and Cassie, she walked over, gently opening the door.

"Hey Meia." She smiled.

Meia turned around and returned her smile. "Hey Sister KK!" Meia said. "It's been a while since I saw you!"

"What are you talking about?" Laughed KK, walking down the small steps to sit next to her. "We always see each other along the- OW!" She yelled in pain as she sat.

"What's wrong?" Meia cried, panicked.

KK rubbed her tailbone. "Didn't sit on the steps properly. The edge and my tailbone don't like each other." She made a face. Meia couldn't help but laugh. "Don't laugh at me!" She frowned, although she was smiling.

"I was saying," continued Meia after she was done laughing. "I barely see you, even though we do wave each other hello along the corridors!"

"Yeah I suppose." KK stretched lazily and leaned against the glass door that led to the lounge. "The last of Wutai Wings is gone, thanks to you. So we're finally done with paperwork and all."

Meia said nothing to her comment, and KK inwardly scolded herself for being, once again, overly blunt. She saw for herself how quiet Meia was in the month that followed after the "disposal" of Apollo, leader of the Wutai Wings.

The thoughtful expression of the little girl faded quickly. "Glad to see that you can relax a little."

"Uh huh." KK nodded. "Now with Pat and Marshall back too, we're going to have a lot of fun!"

"How are Sister Patricia and Brother Marshall like?" Meia asked, twiddling with her black glossy hair.

"Marshall is a painfully shy guy." KK grinned. "But a very talented and useful Turk in our missions. Pat is like a mother hen to all of us." KK grinned. "I was in the Turks about a year or two before she left for the long vacation. But she was always looking out for people and all. Cissnei loves her to bits," KK said, grinning devilishly. "I heard that when Cissnei first joined the Turks, she was one mean kitty." Meia laughed at the imagery of Cissnei with cat ears. "Pat gave her unconditional care and love, which explains why Cissnei can tend to be so motherly towards all of us."

Meia made a thoughtful face again. "I see…"

"And you should see what happened when Reno killed his first innocent."

"What happened?" Meia stared at KK with interest. She never dared to ask Reno about Alyssa, for fear that Reno might not be himself again.

"I must say… even though you were quite affected by Apollo… Dexter's death, you handled it pretty well. Reno was a total emotional disaster after killing that little girl. Poor Pat had such a hard time getting him to even take his meals." Katherine sighed. "I'm sure Patricia understands how it feels. Her own sister, Marshall's girlfriend, was killed and brutally tortured in the beginning of the Wutai Wars."

_So that's why they're so close._ Meia frowned, her mind was starting to kick into gear. "I suppose…" Meia replied slowly. "I guess most of us Turks always have this 'love' element that brought us all to become Turks." She looked at the sky and continued. "Be it love for a lover, a family member, a friend… Somehow, we're all connected by some kind of… love."

KK cocked her head to the left and thought about the question embedded in her heart for a long time. _Ah screw it._ She thought in her head and asked. "Meia?"

"Yes, Sister KK?"

"Do you love Reno?" Katherine asked bluntly.

She looked shocked. "No! I did not join the Turks because of my love for Brother Reno or anything!" She waved her hands frantically. Laughing, KK assured her that she was merely asking a question. Meia beamed. "I love Brother Reno! And Brother Rude and Brother Mason and Brother Haato…" She then scrunched her face, analysing. "Brother Kido and Brother Tseng are a little scary though." She made face. "And I love Sister Leia, Sister Cissnei…"

As she continued to rattle on all the people she likes, KK smiled to herself. KK was sure that most girls her age would be aware of the opposite gender. But here she was, sometimes still talking like an 8-year-old kid.

"… And I love Sister Katherine!"

Katherine smiled. "You do, Meia?" She asked cheerfully, patting her head.

Meia nodded vigourously. "Because you are always so cheerful and concerned about others, even when it hurts inside… doesn't it?"

Katherine stopped, her heart skipping a beat. She looked at Meia in wonder. She briefly mentioned of her past in front of her before, but she was sure that she had never shown her grief and fear of loneliness in front of anything but the privacy of her room.

A shadow of worry crossed Meia's face. "I'm sorry if I said anything wrong." She apologized.

KK gave the girl a warm smile. "No, it's nothing. And… It doesn't hurt anymore… because you're here to heal me, Meia." She said gently.

The girl shyly smiled, before switching back to her sunny smile. "But I love Brother Reno the most! Because he takes care of me very well, he always protects me, and I'm always happy to see him, and I'm not happy when he's not around!" She grinned. "I hope I can be with Brother Reno always! But…" She frowned. "But actually, even though being with Brother Reno makes me happy, it makes my heart hurt." KK saw her clutch her chest. "I like to see him smile, I like to hear what he has to say. I… I don't really like it when he's unhappy, or when he's hurt. I hurt inside too. It's not like an injury or something, it's like a muscle ache, but it just… comes and goes."

That came as another shock to KK. Seeing clearly what it all meant now, she smiled knowingly as she stood up. "Someday, little Meia, you'll understand what was the 'love' I was referring to." She mumbled, more to herself than for Meia. "See you around." With another affectionate ruffle of her hair, KK strode off.

Meia sat on the steps for a few more minutes. She thought about what KK said. Why did KK and Carmelle say the same thing? Why does her heart beat so quickly now? Why did she only want to be with Brother Reno?

She looked at the azure sky, her cheeks warm with emotion, as she uttered softly, as if the word was foreign to her.

"Love…"

* * *

><p>(AN: July)

If it wasn't clear enough, I should say it here. Marshall is NOT Nunchaku (Male) in Before Crisis! His and Patricia are in this story… for a reason that would be revealed two chapters down.

DUM DUM DUM! Yes, I believe that for you love-crazed fans out there, you're free to conclude that maybe Meia likes Reno romantically! (I'm a love-crazed fan as well, so I can't keep romance away from you guys too long!) Well, rather she's probably gonna try and figure this out properly.

Ahhh! A POV of KK! Never thought I'll do that huh? Apart from Meia and Reno, I do want to play with POVs of other Turks as well. This is why I don't use 1st person narrative (NOT because I totally suck in writing it *cough*cough*nose grew longer*)

* * *

><p>(AN: Recently)

After reading the fanfiction 'What's This?' by inu-shinao-kirara, I feel so ashamed of my Reno characterization. Why is everyone having such a good time writing Reno and I chose the suicide path of writing Reno as HUMANE?

If you read my first review to her, you'll realize that I was quite hesitant to read her story, but I did and I'm glad I did. It is a pretty nice story and she did manage to "provoke" my fangirl-ness for Reno again. Thanks to her, I gotta revise my characterizations of Reno as well, sans the emotional parts where Reno is all mopey about Alyssa. XD

Okay, I JUST FINISHED MY DANCE PRODUCTION! WHOOO! After 8 grueling months, I'm now back to writing full force. Anyway, the production was a success =) I just wanted to upload this chapter before sleeping (it's 3AM here!). Hope you like the chapter and please review!


	22. Went Rogue

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 22 – Went Rogue**

October 0000

This time, Meia was in Sector 5 Wall Market with Tihan. Tihan's eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes focusing at the task in his hands. The metal bits twisted and fit perfectly into the contraption of a metal bird. At last, as the final screw was placed, he looked up at Meia with a smile. "Done at last!" He smiled.

"Tihan…" She said softly as she watched her dream unfold.

"What's wrong?" Tihan asked. Meia shook her head and said that there was nothing wrong. He walked over to a little girl with pretty blond hair. "Here you go, little Alyssa." Tihan grinned.

Alyssa took it with both hands, her hazel eyes wide with both surprise and pleasure. "Thank you Tihan!" She said with a high-pitched voice. Tihan laughed and Meia watched the scene, with a sad smile. Alyssa was shortly killed after by Reno, none of them knew about this… Now Meia is the only one alive to hear the news.

As the little girl gleefully skipped away, waving goodbye excitedly at Tihan and Meia with the metal bird in her hand, Tihan looked at Meia. "You look upset." He said gently.

Meia smiled. Trust Tihan to be sensitive to the moods and concerns of others. "It's nothing, Tihan." The two of them began to walk out of the Wall Market. "It's just that… I miss you."

Tihan held her hand and squeezed it with brotherly affection. "I miss you too."

Meia stared at Tihan, wondering why he would say that. "Tihan…" She said, feeling a little unnerved by the sudden entropy of her usual memory-playback dreams. _He didn't say that back then…_

"You've moved on and became a Turk, right?" Tihan grinned, still not letting go. His hand felt warm, yet Meia felt chills down her spine. "You've achieved your dream to be a Turk!"

"No…" Meia said, trying to pull away, but Tihan's grip held on fast. "I much rather have Sunny, Carmelle and you back with me!" She cried out at him. "But… but you're…" Her voice broke as tears fell. "You're gone."

"Meia…" Tihan was starting to fade now, his grip was loosening on her. "You've grown up and have made new friends…"

"But I would much rather give it all back if I could be with you three again!"

Tihan smiled, his face now barely visible. "You know deep inside that that's not what you really want, right? Your life has begun anew. Live it to how you want it to be. For me, for us…"

"Tihan?" Meia cried, reaching out in hopes of even touching Tihan's hand. "Tihan?"

"Tihan!"

* * *

><p>Meia woke up at the sound of knives clattering on the floor. She jumped out of bed. Hastily grabbing her blazer to wear over her pajamas, she pressed her ear on the door and heard faint voices behind.<p>

"At this rate that you're tripping over _non-existent_ things along the corridor," Meia heard Alana say with a disapproving tone. "You'll wake the others up."

"Sorry." Meia heard KK's voice, a little sheepish. She opened the door of her room and saw not only Alana and KK, but Kido as well.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Genesis Rhapsodos." Was Kido's only answer.

Meia stiffened at the name. "What about him?" She pressed on.

"It's not your business for now," replied Alana. "You're not delegated for the mission. Tseng will update you tomorrow morning. Go to sleep."

Meia frowned. "Let me help. I'll erm… help out with SOLDIER or something."

Alana rolled her cerulean blue eyes in frustration. "Meia, it's 4 in the morning, I simply do not have the strength to argue with you."

"Then let me help you!" Meia insisted.

"Let her, Alana." Kido said, rubbing his temples. "Or we'll be late for the briefing."

"Yeah, I guess we could do some help?" KK tried.

Alana made a frustrated sigh and motioned Meia to join them in the Turks' Lounge.

* * *

><p>In the Turks' Lounge, there was no expression on Tseng's face when he saw Meia. He glanced around the room, checking that KK, Alana, Kido and Haato were present. Although it was 4 in the morning, Tseng was immaculately dressed in standard Turks' uniform.<p>

"Good morning, Turks." He greeted the five of them. "We've received news half an hour ago that there has been a disappearance. Genesis Rhapsodos, SOLDIER 1st Class, disappeared while on a mission in Fort Tamblin."

"And you need 4 Turks to find one missing SOLDIER?" Haato's voice was full of disbelief. "I don't remember Shinra being bad in deployment."

Tseng frowned at his words, but chose not to address it for now. "The SOLDIERS are not activated to do this because it's more complicated than you think. When Genesis disappeared, almost a third of 2nd and 3rd class SOLDIERS disappeared with him."

"Sounds like a horror film, if you were to ask me." Laughed KK sheepishly.

"Hardly, Katherine." Tseng shook his head. "Unless it is some supernatural phenomenon, I can only conclude that…"

"Genesis went rogue on SOLDIER." Meia finished it for him.

Her words were greeted by a wave of surprise hitting the other Turks. Tseng nodded to indicate that her guess was right.

"As of now, the SOLDIERS are not activated yet. They will be informed tomorrow and then they'll go search for him. But for us…" Tseng cleared his throat a little. "I'm sending the four of you to Fort Tamblin, Wutai, as first frontier to find any clues or witnesses about this."

"Yes sir!" The four Turks chorused.

"What about me?" Meia frowned. "I want to help!"

Tseng narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Be thankful that I did not reprimand you for showing up in a meeting that you shouldn't be in."

"But I want to help out, what's wrong with that?"

"You're far too young and far too inexperienced." Tseng's cold words did nothing to affect her.

"How about guarding Shinra?" She pressed on. "What if Genesis comes back to attack Shinra or something?"

To her surprise, Tseng suddenly smiled. It is not a full, wide and warm smile, but you know for sure that he is smiling. "Meia, you are one stubborn little mule." He said, shaking his head. "Security has been reinforced. Go to bed and I'll update you with the rest of the Turks tomorrow."

KK patted Meia's back gently. "You should be glad that you get to sleep while the four of us slog in the wee hours of the morning!" She grinned.

"Let's go, everyone." Alana said as she took out her gun for a quick check. "Make sure you're fully equipped for battle."

* * *

><p>The next few days that went by seemed like a roller-coaster ride to Meia. After that night, Tseng reported the next day, informing the Turks about the news of Genesis Rhapsodos. Thereafter, updates are given every morning… which is none. Even Kunsel, who had the most accurate information about the ongoing events, was unable to find any leads on Genesis' whereabouts. It was as if Genesis has disappeared from the face of the Earth. SOLDIERS and Turks were dispatched to all parts of the Planet to search for the 1st Class SOLDIER.<p>

"Why would they spend so much effort looking for just one SOLDIER?" Meia grumbled to Leia, a rare chance to have breakfast in the even rarer empty cafeteria. Most of the Turks and SOLDIERS had left the cafeteria for their missions.

Leia sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "Perhaps Genesis is being captured by Wutai spies?"

"But he went rogue!" Was Meia's quick rejoinder.

"Maybe he has information too valuable for Shinra to lose him." Leia set her cup down and said wearily. "I don't know Meia. Even though I love to have breakfast with you, I'm really tired. Could we talk about something else?"

Meia apologized and quickly changed the subject to her recent progress of learning how to use Materia.

* * *

><p>Despite the chaotic situation, Meia was amazed that somehow Turks are able to find something fun to do.<p>

"Meia!" She heard Reno call her. As she turned around, she smiled at the running figure towards her. "Come on," He said, pulling her by the arm. "I want to show you something fun."

"Why is it that you guys are able to find these things to do despite the situation over in SOLDIER?" She muttered to herself. Meia allowed herself to be pulled along, wondering since when did Reno lose weight again. "You need to eat more, Brother Reno." She murmured, her hand and her face feeling warm from his touch.

"Do I?" He grinned. "I suppose I should say that for you, little Meia. Although," He briefly turned around. She refrained looking awkward and shy as he took a good glance at her. "You did gain weight since you became a Turk, but you're still rather skinny, yo?"

They turned around the corner and into the common Turks' pantry, where Leia and Cissnei were.

"Hey Reno. Hey Meia." They greeted.

"Good morning Sister Leia, Sister Cissnei!" She beamed.

"Look!" Cissnei pointed at the cardboard box in front of her. "I caught a bunny right outside Midgar and I brought it home!"

"So cute!" Meia gushed, stroking gently the soft fur of the animal.

Reno watched the bunny with a grin on his face. "The bunny is simply adorable." Reno faced her. "Just like you." He smiled.

Meia was taken aback, but she refrained from letting it show. "Th… Thank you Brother Reno!"

"Oh come on, Reno. Stop teasing her!" Leia said with a disapproving tone.

"But no, I'm serious!" Reno reached over and touched her hair. "I think little Meia is just too adorable!" Meia flinched, more at his unusual words than his touch. Her face grew hot as she stared at the rabbit, as if it could lessen the tension in her heart.

"Enough, Marshall." Meia heard Reno say from behind.

She jerked in surprise. Staring at the Reno next to her, she realized that…

"Marshall?" She shrieked. She scrambled quickly away from him. "Oh my-" She stared at Reno, who was actually at the doorway, Rude, who was with him, and back at Marshall. "What was that all about?" She shouted at the Reno look-alike. As Marshall pulled out his wig, she heard Leia and Cissnei breaking into laughter.

"Gaia!" Choked Cissnei in between laughs. "That was epic!"

Reno groaned. "I lost the bet." He threw 300 gil at Rude. "Drinks on you tonight."

Rude grabbed the bag of gil skillfully. "… I'll think about it."

Meia was flabbergasted at what she heard. "Wait… you two betted on me?" She asked furiously.

Reno raised his hands in surrender. "Don't be mad?"

"You!" Meia huffed.

"In my defense, I betted because I was sure you would see through Marshall's disguise!" Reno frowned at Marshall. "Why didn't you realize that it's not me?" Meia blushed at the moment, concealing all thoughts that emerged in response to his question.

"I'm sorry, little Meia." Leia grinned, an unusual thing coming from no-nonsense Leia. "Marshall is quite a good master of disguise, isn't he?"

Marshall smiled shyly. "I'm really not that good."

Meia stared at him in horror. The turquoise eyes (Contact lenses, she figured), the unkempt uniform, the flaming red hair… How was it that she could not detect any difference between Reno and Marshall? Marshall's shyness simply melted away once he put on a disguise, basically a completely different person. "… You're good." Was all she could manage. "You… could mimic Reno's attitude and voice… well."

"I'd hardly say 'well' gives it enough credit." Complimented Cissnei. "He pulled the same thing with KK, being Sephiroth. Now THAT one was funny!"

"None of us could keep a straight face at KK for many months." Leia said, trying to hide her smile now.

"You… You are terrible!" Meia groaned.

"You're still a little girl, dear Meia!" Cooed Cissnei. "We couldn't help but make fun of you once in a while."

"Please don't be mad at us," Begged Reno. "If it helps, I really do think that you're adorable?" He said with a hopeful tone.

Now fully able to conceal the new flutter in her heart, Meia frowned at the four Turks around her. "… I'll think about it." She mimicked Rude's tone.

"I hope you're not mad at us, but it is just as you say, Meia!" Marshall grinned. "We Turks do find fun things to do!" Meia groaned.

"What's up guys?" KK said as she walked into the pantry. Cissnei, Leia and Reno burst out laughing. Looking at the laughing Turks and at Marshall, she flushed and said with much indignation. "Still laughing about it? That was years ago!"

* * *

><p>In the midst of it all, there was an addition to the Turks.<p>

"Here we go," Said Reno with a mock flourish imitating that of Cassie as he pulled a lanky boy into the pantry.

"Ow! That's hurts, you asshole!" Were the very first words of the new Turk. Meia's eyes widened at his crudeness.

"Rodzen Daisa?" Cassie exclaimed, standing up as she did so.

Rodzen scratched his head. "I prefer it if you left my last name out… and call me Rod." He said with a drawl.

"Wait…" Said Leia. "You two know each other?"

Cassie shrugged. "Caught him and his gang a few times around Sector 8."

"He's a hooligan?" Asked Alana, with almost a disapproving tone and glaring at Reno.

KK shook her head. "First a homeless child, now a hooligan?" Meia flushed painfully at her blunt words.

"KK!" Chided Cissnei.

"Since when have the Turks gone on a wild-child image?" Haato snorted, his legs propped on the table, like he usually did. Leia knocked his head a few times. "Ow! What did you do that for, Leia?" He frowned.

"Speak for yourself. None of us Turks are elegant and refined in the first place." Said Leia with a small smile. Cissnei smiled, knowing well what she meant.

"How did you find him, Brother Reno?" Asked Meia.

Reno cocked his head casually. "Caught him stealing a Shinra bike and beat the crap out of him." He tapped the EMR on his shoulder casually and gave Rod a glance over. "Thought it'll be better to keep him here, yo?"

"Rodzen!" Cassie frowned. "Stealing a bike? Did you really think you can outwit Shinra and steal a motorbike from us?" She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Your arrogance is unbelievable!"

Rod's face broke into a devilish grin. "Speak for yourself."

"You!"

"Alright alright!" Frowned Alana, now stepping in before things turned for the worse. "Whatever it is, since he's here, it means that Veld has willingly accepted him as a Turk. We'll accommodate each other."

"As I was saying just now…" Rod continued after Alana. "The name's Rod. What's up?" Now that the commotion simmered a little, Meia took a good look at Rod. At full height he is taller than Reno. He has muted red hair, brighter than Cissnei's but darker than Reno's. His hair is spikey and his grey blue eyes are full of life. He could be quite a charming person if it wasn't for his crude mannerisms. Also…

"Is it me or… do Reno and Rod look alike?" Meia asked hesitatingly.

The Turks guffawed at the sudden realization. "By Gaia," Choked Mason. "You're right!"

Reno frowned. "I most certainly do NOT!" Rude snorted a little, causing Reno to turn to him. "Even you?"

It was then that Tseng stepped into the pantry and led Rod on the "tour de Shinra".

* * *

><p>It has been two months since Meia and Kunsel were turned away from Training Room 49 due to the massive damage created by Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth. In the meantime Meia was enjoying the Turks' Training Room for learning Materia.<p>

Ever since Professor Timothy requested for an extension for her access to Training Room 49, it seemed like she could enter and leave the SOLDIER floor whenever she wished for the training room. Therefore Meia thought it was wise to make full use of the utility before the privilege is removed.

When she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Zack Fair, accompanied by Angeal Hewley, out of the Briefing Room. "Hi Brother Zack!" She waved enthusiastically.

Zack waved back with equal vigour. He turned to Angeal and said a few words, ending with him bowing a little and placing his hands together. Meia saw that Angeal sighed and waved him away. Then, Zack came running towards her.

"Asked Angeal for a few moments so that I could talk to you. How have you been, Meia?" He grinned.

Meia blushed, suddenly shy that Zack Fair would take the effort to talk to her. "I'm fine, Brother Zack!" She beamed.

"How has training been?"

"Pretty tough, but the morning jogs did some good to my stamina." She grinned as well. "My forward and backward roll is also becoming less awkward!"

Zack did a fist pump. "Glad to hear that."

"Where are you heading to?" Meia asked innocently.

"Fort Tamblin." He replied. "That's in Wutai."

"Oh?" She made a thoughtful look. "Looking for Genesis?"

Zack's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "Even you know about that? I only found out today." He scratched his head. "I think I'm probably… one of the last SOLDIERS to know." He laughed. "Anyway, I'm dispatched to end the Wutai War… once and for all!" He did a fist pump again, dramatically.

Meia laughed. "I wish you all the best, Brother Zack! You'll wipe them all to the floor, looking for their teeth or something!" Zack laughed together with her.

"Anyway, I gotta go," He said apologetically, after stealing a glance at his mentor's impatient expression. "I'll see you around, Meia."

"Take care!" Meia shouted after him.

As she watched the raven-haired 2nd Class SOLDIER run back to Angeal, she pulled at her pigtails lightly, her habitual, subconscious sign of worry. Somehow, for some reason, she felt that things are going to be very different from now on.

* * *

><p>December 0000<p>

From a distance, Meia saw the disturbed expression on Tseng's face as he paced around his desk. "Brother Tseng?" She called as she approached him.

He broke out of his train of thoughts and frowned at Meia. "What is it?"

"I've finished the reports on the Wutai War." She placed the stack of files and folders onto his table. "If you need information, you can now find me." She said cheerfully, tapping her head.

Tseng nodded. "Thank you for being so willing to read 7 years of war information. We really need quick information and may not have the time to leaf through all of them." Meia shrugged and said it was fine. "Could you bring them down to the Archives?"

"Sure." As she placed her hands on the files, she asked. "Is there anything wrong?"

Tseng looked a little irritated that he was interrupted again. "No, there isn…" He stopped himself, clearly changing his mind. "Actually, I've dispatched Patricia and Marshall to the town of Banora over two months ago. They've not…"

"Been in contact?" She asked.

Tseng looked at her and nodded. His brown eyes were clouded with masked emotions. Meia smiled to herself. She always thought that Tseng was quite an emotional person, who had to hide it because of his job.

Tseng walked towards his desk to sit. "With Veld's permission I'll make a personal trip down to Banora and check the place out." He said.

"Banora?" She asked. "You mean the little town in the Mideel continent?" Tseng nodded. She tugged at her pigtails gently. "Alone?" She asked with a worried face.

"No, I have SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack Fair with me. Not that he knows of it yet." Tseng stood up and took out his PHS. "That reminds me, I need to give him a call to meet Director Lazard at the Briefing Room on the SOLDIER floor." He held the PHS against his ear. "SOLDIER 2nd Class, Zack?... Director Lazard wants to see you. Go to the Briefing Room." He flipped the phone shut.

Meia wondered if he even gave Zack a chance to speak. Nevertheless, she was relieved to hear that Tseng would be accompanied by a competent SOLDIER. "Please be safe, Brother Tseng." She said sadly. "I… I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Tseng gave a faintest of smiles, clearly seeing why Reno is so taken with the little girl. "I can take care of myself without your worries." With that, he strode out of the Turks' office.

* * *

><p>A few hours after Tseng left, Haato walked into the pantry, anxiety breaking in his usually stoic face. Meia was the only one inside, eating some leftover cereal from the day before. "Where are the others? Where's Reno?" He asked anxiously. Meia shook her head. He made a sound of frustration. "We've no time. Meia, you and I will now fly to Banora to pick up Tseng, Pat, Marshall and the SOLDIER."<p>

Without telling twice, Meia jumped out of her chair and followed Haato to Floor 55. With the aid of a Shinra infantryman who could fly a helicopter, they set off to Banora.

Although it was the first time she was on the helicopter, Meia felt nothing but anxiety. At the top of her anxiety was the fact that she's going out of Midgar, directly going against Veld's orders.

_I'll be killed if Brother Veld finds out. _She cringed._ I hope Brother Tseng won't say anything. Oh why oh why did I stupidly follow Brother Haato?_

Meia looked out of the window, the view below was the crossing fields of the continent, the ocean towards the Mideel continent was just ahead.

_Whatever it is… It's too late to turn back now._

She stared at the compartment that they called a helicopter. It was a 7-seater, excluding the pilot. The flight was bumpy and it took them almost two hours flying full-speed before they reached Banora.

Haato was silent for the whole ride and Meia made no efforts to talk to him, choosing to admire the changing lands below. Nearing the town of Banora, Haato's PHS rang. "Haato here." He said into the PHS. "We're reaching in 10 minutes, missiles are ready to launch."

_Missiles? _She realized in shock._ They are going to bomb the town?_

Haato was still speaking. "I understand. We'll delay the airstrike. We're going to land on the cliff 50 degrees east from the entrance. Meet us there."

As he flipped the PHS shut, Meia broke the silence between them. "We're… bombing the town?"

"Destroying any evidence of Shinra's involvement would be a better thing to say." Haato said emotionlessly.

"But! But!" She could not believe her ears. "There are townspeople in there! Why are we killing a whole town of people for just one 1st Class SOLDIER?"

"Firstly, it's TWO 1st Class SOLDIER, not one." Haato corrected her. "Angeal Hewley is part of Genesis's group now."

Meia shook her head violently. "Brother Angeal is not like that!" She argued. "He's one of the nicest SOLDIERS around! He wouldn't do that!"

Haato ignored her replies. "Secondly, the entire town is wiped out by Genesis. I don't suppose there's anyone alive now." He motioned the pilot to land in the precise location that he mentioned to Tseng during the call. "All I want to do now is pick up Tseng, Patricia, Marshall and that SOLDIER guy, leave this place and let Shinra do the rest. Our mission is only to pick up whoever that is alive."

Meia slumped back onto her seat. She turned quiet for the remainder of the time, sorting out the thoughts and new information in her head.

The phone call from came much later than they expected. Haato picked up the phone. "About time you called." He said, irritated. He stood up and opened the door of the helicopter, revealing Tseng with the PHS in his hand. If Tseng was surprised to see Meia out of Midgar, he didn't show it. He had some burns on his body but otherwise he's fine... And alone.

"Where… Where's Patricia and Marshall?" Meia asked, her heart bracing for the worst.

Tseng shook his head, his ponytail shaking as he did so. "They… Genesis killed them."

Unable to accept the truth, Meia shook her head vigorously. "It can't be…"

"What do you mean, Genesis killed them?" Haato yelled.

"Their remains… their Turks uniform… They were buried with Genesis's parents." Despite his emotionless expression, Meia caught a moment where Tseng let sadness show a little more than usual. Knowing that Tseng mourns for the loss as much as they did, she nudged Haato gently and they sat in silence, not feeling a thing when the helicopter lifted itself to a new location to pick Zack Fair from a cliff.

Tseng gave the signal for the other combat plane flying with them to launch the missiles. Meia spotted Zack from a distance, walking up the cliff leading to Banora, with an air of fatigue. He stared at the combat plane which just left the town after completing its mission. Tseng opened the door of the helicopter and Meia saw Zack staring back at the burning town of Banora. He stood, watching the town burn for a really long time.

"Come on, SOLDIER." Said Haato, more impatient than usual. "We've got people to heal…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "And people to mourn for."

* * *

><p>Wahaha! CRISIS CORE HAS BEGUN! Finally! After 22 chapters of running around and being stupid, I'm getting into the compilation!<p>

If you remembered Chapter 6, Reno said that his life was spared by Tseng, and he'll return the favour to someone else someday. That's how Reno 'paid' back the kindness. Rod's background is canon (stealing the motorbike and being defeated by Reno).

Yes, some lines in the chapter are taken directly from Crisis Core!

Now we know why Patricia and Marshall are here. =(

Okay, long story! So author's notes will be short. Thanks for the lovely reviews and see you next chapter!

OH OH OH! I've written a new story! It's called** "Moves Like Jagger"**! Please support by reading and reviewing!


	23. Bingo

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 23 – Bingo**

As the helicopter made its two-hour flight back to Midgar, Meia dressed the burnt wounds on Tseng's chest. She also remarked to herself that she has never been in a group of people so quiet.

As the helicopter landed on the helipad of the Shinra Building, Tseng was the first to alight. He walked ahead towards the elevator. Zack immediately leapt off the helicopter after him.

"Hey Tseng," he shouted after him. Tseng stopped walking and Zack took the chance to catch up with the Turk. "You have no problem with this village being bombarded?" As Tseng turned around, Zack continued. "Because I have a big problem with it!"

Meia and Haato alighted the helicopter, looking at Tseng to see his response.

Tseng gave a slight shrug. "All evidence of misconduct must be erased. As a Turk I must enforce company policy." Without waiting for Zack to reply, Tseng walked away, entering the elevator.

Zack gave a small sigh. "That excuse again…"

"Brother Zack…" She wanted to go comfort him, but Haato pulled her back.

"Let him come to his own conclusion about the kind of job and company he's working for, just like how you did when you killed Apollo." Haato shook his head grimly.

Meia glanced back at Zack, who was now walking towards the elevator, a sad step after each. She sighed inwardly and thought to herself. _Are we condemned to feel guilt like this just because of what we do?_

* * *

><p>The news of Patricia and Marshall's death was greeted by the Turks with silence. Tseng was the one who broke the news. Although the Turks were given a minute of silence to remember and respect their sacrifice for Shinra, the lounge was silent for five minutes. Tseng then softly broke the silence by continuing with the update of Genesis's plans.<p>

For many days the Turks mourned over the loss of two excellent Turks. Meia believed that Cissnei and Reno had it the worst. After all, they were one of the youngest Turks and they both once depended terribly on Patricia to get back onto their feet. For a few days Cissnei was even quieter than usual, speaking only when spoken to, similar to Meia herself in the aftermath of Apollo's death. Reno seemed normal, too normal. It was when Meia walked in on him staring at a group picture of Patricia, Marshall and himself with an unreadable expression that Meia realized that Reno felt the loss in his heart as well.

Clearing out their rooms was the hardest of all. As a form of respect and some weird tribute, the female Turks cleaned out Patricia' residential room while the others did the same for Marshall. However, photographs taken, medals for achievements accomplished, their most personal items... they were placed in a small box and brought down to the Turks' Archives, to join the other boxes of Turks who've lost their lives while working as a Turk.

Having almost half of the floor space to themselves, the Turks' Archives on Floor 52 is a rather large room for such a small department as the Turks. It was Patricia's idea to convert a small room in the Archives for commemorating the Turks who lost their lives while serving Shinra. Their personal belongings will be placed in a small box and on the shelf in the room, with only one photo placed in a glass cupboard in the lounge. Instead of making the small room cold (and scary-looking), Patricia decorated the room tastefully. Meia was impressed with her amount of commitment to make the Turks look… humane.

As their boxes were placed on the shelf, the Turks were silent. Now the person who conceived the idea of this room will be remembered here too. Meia said softly to herself, hoping that Patricia and Marshall could hear her from the Lifestream. "Thank you for making this place a home to many of us."

* * *

><p>15 January 0001<p>

December passed quickly and the year 0000 drew to a close. Meia spent most of the time getting to know Rod. She could hardly get over the fact that he was uncannily like Reno. The both of them use EMRs, they speak casually, even to their superiors. Their red hair, short and spikey as well, served no better at distinguishing between the two of them. Meia only could look into their eyes to properly differentiate between the two Turks. And their attire too (Rod is decent enough to tuck in his shirt.)

Rod is a carefree person and rather easy-going, like Reno. However, he tends to get a little arrogant and full of himself, not that Meia minded. It sure annoyed Cassie and Alana a lot. Nevertheless, Meia was glad to see that he integrated himself very well with the Turks. Despite their character differences, the Turks worked together very well. Some pairs have better rapport than the others, but all in all everyone complements each other like a perfect puzzle.

January was almost at a close when Meia saw a white envelope sitting quietly on her desk in the morning. "What's this?" She asked, picking up the white package.

"No idea." Mason, who was sitting at the desk next to her, leaned over for a closer look. "It only has your name on it. Be careful, Meia! It could be a bomb!" He jumped a little in mock fear.

"Grow up, Mason." Leia's unamused tone was heard from the back. "She's not a kid anymore."

Meia giggled at their conversation. Like how Rod annoyed Cassie and Alana, Leia is often ticked off by Mason's weak humour… and how he would be exceedingly polite to the females around him. As much as Meia disliked discord, she enjoyed mindless bantering among the Turks.

"Open it, Meia." Leia appeared behind her, placing a hand on the back of the chair. "If it could get pass the security system, it will be safe."

Gingerly opening the envelope, she pulled out a slip of glossy paper. "It's a… brochure?" She opened the piece of paper and read the contents aloud. "… Come join us in a time of fellowship as we gather together to learn more about the Planet that we live in. Admission is free."

"Pssh." Scoffed Mason. "Spam mail."

"Yeah, it's pretty useless material." Shrugged Leia. "We get that once in a while. Some crazed groupies who are passionate about the welfare of the Planet." Leia's voice dropped to a whisper. "Not that we don't care about the Planet. But… isn't making our lives easier a much better alternative?"

Meia smiled. _So we all do have our conflicting morals… _

"If you ask me, I think it's all still pretty much spam mail." Mason yawned and stretched in his chair. "Throw it away and forget about it." Mason stood up and turned to the ladies. "Coffee?" He asked.

"I'll go with you." Replied Leia.

As the two Turks left, Meia folded the brochure, but that's when she noticed a hand-written note on the back of the brochure. "I hope this interests you well. Do not forget us. Signed, The Luge."

_The Luge… A sled? _She frowned to herself. The brochure suddenly looked very suspicious. Meia folded the paper neatly, placed it in the envelope… and kept it in her box. Her instincts told her that it could be important.

* * *

><p>30 February 0001<p>

Rodzen, or Rod, walked along the streets of Sector 8, a brand new EMR in his hand and a gun glinting softly in his holster. Sector 8 looked normal, just like how it has always been whenever he visited the area. He had no love for the play 'LOVELESS', but he did find the ladies here more attractive than the ones from Sector 6 (Upper Plate), thus the frequent visits.

_No more of that now. _He mused to himself._ Not while I'm on the job, at least._

His PHS rang. Rod flipped it out of his pocket and spoke into the phone. "I'm here."

Rod had to give it to Shinra for the creation of such high-technology items. Tseng's voice was heard clearly over the phone. "These are your orders. You're to patrol Sector 8. This is standard work for all new Turks. It's company tradition. Your seniors, Reno and Rude, even I started off with this work."

"Yeah yeah, I got it." He replied.

"The war is over and the town is peaceful, so I doubt you'll run into any big problems. Look at this work as you would a real mission. This job should get you used to your future duties."

Rod was already feeling boredom in his bones. "No worries, alright?" He gestured, as if Tseng could see them. "I've got Sector 8 all covered."

Tseng made the slightest noise of disapproval and Rod chuckled. Apparently Tseng is still not particularly used to his informal speech. Tseng ended his briefing. "Please ensure you equip your Materia before starting. Best of luck." He hung up the phone.

As Rod flipped the PHS shut, he shrugged and began walking again. _What kind of mess can happen tonight?_ He thought to himself, his gait becoming more relaxed. _The worst that can happen is-_

He tensed and quickly stepped back when he saw a duo of uniformed people standing in the alley. They were dressed in sandy brown and had dark brown suspenders. They also wore helmets and goggles over their eyes.

One of them turned to the other. "The long awaited day of Shin-Ra's downfall is in sight. Don't go messing things up now. Down with the Shin-Ra!"

They saluted at each other and yelled together. "Down with the Shin-Ra!"

"What the heck do these jokers think they're doing?" Rod frowned. "Down with Shin-Ra?"

Rod cursed to himself when his PHS went off.

"Who's there?" A voice cried out.

_DAMN IT TSENG!_ He screamed inside, volleying a ton of vulgarities in his head thereafter. He hastily reached for his PHS and tried to escape but the uniformed man saw him. Rod punched the button to accept the incoming call.

"That uniform… The Shin-Ra company's Turks?" The uniformed man exclaimed.

_Play it cool…_ Rod said to himself. _You're a freaking Turk now!_ He glared at the mysterious man. "What do you think you're doing?"

Instead of replying, he lifted his weapon. "You overheard our plans. We're going to have to get rid of you!" He roared.

_Oh bother… _He rolled his eyes, preparing his EMR and handgun. He quickly raised the phone against his ear. "Tseng?"

"What's going on?" Tseng asked, his voice tense.

"Erm… kinda busy now!" Rod replied as he dodged a knife attack from the man. "Give me 3 minutes!" As he hung up the PHS, he gave his neck a little stretch from side to side. "Totally messing with the wrong guy." He grinned arrogantly at the uniformed man. "Bring it on, sucker!"

* * *

><p>Meia ran into the Turks' lounge. She was in the midst of her shower when she received a message on her PHS that there was an urgent meeting in the lounge. She tried not to flick water from her wet hair onto the glass door as she came running in. "What did I miss?" She called out.<p>

Haato grinned from where he was sitting, his legs propped up as usual. "Rod bingo-ed his first mission!"

She frowned at Leia. "What does that even mean?" She asked.

Leia smiled a little. "It means that the mission took an unexpected turn."

Meia stared at Tseng in horror. "What happened?"

Slowing his aimless pacing to a stop, Tseng turned to the group of Turks present and cleared his throat. "Rod apparently spotted a group of anti-Shinra soldiers in Sector 8."

"Remnants of the Wutai Wings?" Asked Meia as she took the cup of hot chocolate on the table, made by Leia.

"It's impossible." Haato replied. "We've eliminated everyone in that group."

"My thoughts exactly." Agreed Tseng. "However, we can never be too sure." His PHS rang suddenly, and nodding at the Turks, Tseng picked up his PHS. "Yes, Cissnei? … What? I understand, this has become serious indeed. Continue to keep watch over the reactor. I'll send Rod and Reno to the reactor." He speedily flipped the PHS shut.

"What about the reactor? Is it the Sector 8 Mako Reactor?" Meia asked, her voice sharp and tense.

Tseng nodded. "The terrorists have headed to the reactor. It better not be what I think they're going to do."

Leia sat straighter in her chair. "You mean…?"

"If they succeed in blowing up the reactor…" Tseng's face turned even more serious. "The whole sector goes along with it."

Meia shuddered. "We have to stop them." She muttered to herself.

"I'll send Reno, Rude, KK and Mason to our Sector 8 Reactor. When Reno reaches our rookie, the both of them will come back to HQ."

"How do the terrorists look like?" Asked Leia.

"According to Rod," Tseng checked his notes that were hastily typed into his PHS. "These soldiers wore khaki brown uniforms and dark brown suspenders. Their attire is similar to SOLDIER, except that they wear head gear and goggles instead of a helmet. Meia, Haato, Leia, I need you to be on standby in case the entire team needs to be activated. Until then, your top priority task now is to gather whatever information you can find on this unknown group."

"Yes yes," Haato said as he swung his legs off the armchair in front of him. "I'm back to being intel. Boring to bits."

Leia shook her head. "Perhaps if you had been a little more careful with the execution while handling the previous mission, this wouldn't have happened."

Meia frowned to herself. "How are we going to find information about a group that we know absolutely nothing about?" She wondered aloud.

"Don't worry." Leia patted her back. "We're the Turks. No information, no battle, no mission is too hard for us." Meia grinned back at her, wondering if their favourite Turk motto will work this time round.

* * *

><p>Rod smirked as his EMR successfully knocked another enemy unconscious. "I'm the best around, man!" He praised himself as he swung the last one onto the ground. He squatted next to the man, who was badly injured but still alive. "What's your name?" He asked, picking the man up by his hair.<p>

The soldier spat in Rod's face. "I have no dealings with Shinra scum!"

_Hoo boy. _He thought to himself. He held the gun against the man's ear. "If you don't cooperate, I'll make your life really miserable."

The man sneered. "As if I'll let you kill me!" With that, he clenched his teeth over his own tongue and with a shriek, died.

"Eff-ing psycho!" Rod cursed loudly, stumbling back on the floor. "Geez, you don't have to do that..." He sighed as he took a good look at the operative. It has only been 3 months since he joined the Turks. To have an offer to work in the secret organization is miracle in itself. He should've been killed by Reno back then but... _I guess the dude is a softie. _He raised an eyebrow to himself.

Rod was excited to work as a Turk. He lived to see challenges and excitement was his drug. Stealing and rioting was daily routine in his life, but all that he has given up for the Turk job. Leaving his friends was a little hard, but Rod moved on pretty well. It wouldn't be such a difficult thing to do now that Rod has a higher ambition... To lead the Turks.

Rod shook his head and frowned at himself. _So NOT the time to reminise or do goal-setting now. _He made a face at the dead spy. "Well then..." He took out his PHS and activated the camera function. "Hope Tseng and the gang won't freak out at the mess..." He muttered, clicking the shutter.

* * *

><p>Leia gave a frustrated sigh as she lifted the cup of coffee to her lips… the third time in the past 5 minutes. "This is madness. How are we to identify these people?" She complained.<p>

"Any mission is not too difficult for the Turks, isn't it?" Meia asked in a mock confident manner. Leia's lips drew a thin line, something she does whenever she's annoyed. Meia gave a small smile. Leia hardly complained, but when she does she's easily irritable. The last time Leia was like that was when she was figuring out the Sector 4 Sewer maps… the first day that Meia was in the Shinra Building.

Haato clicked his tongue, grabbing the attention of Meia and Leia. "Rod is mailing some pictures of the situation now... What the-" He swore as the images were loaded onto his screen.

"What's wrong?" Meia asked, walking over. She grimaced as she saw the bloody sight. "What's that, Brother Haato?"

"A picture of the terrorist that Rod has been fighting so far. The man bit his own tongue to silence himself." The katana-user frowned. "It's good that we have some pictures now… But how can we make any head nor tail out of pixilated uniforms?"

Leia walked over to the picture. "Yeah, it's pretty bad quality." She commented. "It's pretty dark outside so that explains the quality."

Squinting hard at the picture (without glancing at the bloody mess on the mouth of the terrorist), she noticed something scarlet. "What's that on the bandanna?"

"Where?" Haato leaned forward to take a closer look.

Meia pointed at the screen. "There. On his arm." Her eyes hurt from the squinting. "Zoom in, perhaps?"

Haato did so, showing a skull and crossbones logo, with the letter 'A' on the forehead of the skull. Meia's eyes widened as instant recognition flashed in her brain. "The Luge!" She yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked, staring at Meia as if she has gone mad.

Without a word, Meia tore down the aisle to her own desk. She flipped open the box to reveal the white envelope that she had received a month ago. She took out the brochure and unfolded it… revealing the logo of the 'seminar'… identical to that on the terrorist's bandanna.

"They sent this to me last month, you were there, Leia, remember?" She showed Haato and Leia the brochure. "After you and Mason left, I found a note written behind the brochure."

"I remember this! And..." On a closer look, she gasped. "That's the same logo as the terrorist group!" Leia exclaimed.

"Meia, you were contacted by the terrorist group before this attack?" Haato's voice was solemn and stern, unlike his usual manner with her. "Do you know how dangerous it can be? Why didn't you alert us immediately?" He placed a hand on her table and leaned forward, staring at straight in the eye.

"I didn't think it'll be serious." She apologised. "I had my suspicions, but I was thinking that it's just another Planet-loving, anti-Shinra group... Not a terrorist group like this!"

"What the hell is the differen-" Haato allowed the matter to drop. After all, clever as Meia may be, she was still a child and there were some things that a child cannot comprehend. "The next time this happens, contact us. Immediately. Remember that we are a very transparent department, despite our dirty job scopes. Veld will not take this kindly if he finds out."

"Haato is right, for once." Leia nodded in agreement. Meia nodded while Haato cast Leia an annoyed look. "Nevertheless, I'm glad that we found a connection at last. Tseng would be happy to hear this." Leia smiled. "If we can figure out the name of the group, finding their whereabouts and intentions wouldn't be a problem from here. Do you think that the signed name and the logo have anything in common?"

Meia stared at the logo, wishing that by some sort of magic, the answer will surface on the brochure. Of course, she wasn't able to do so.

_The Luge… _

"The Luge… The-luge… Deluge?" She stared at the logo, where the letter "A" was emblazoned across the skull.

_Deluge… Storm… Torrent… Rush… Overflowing…_ She frowned at herself. Her vast expanse of vocabulary is not giving her the word that she needs. Until…

_AVALANCHE._

Meia's face slowly grew a smile. "Bingo." She said.

* * *

><p>(AN: August)

And one chapter later, Before Crisis started! To those who are confused about the timeline, the BC and CC storylines happened concurrently. Meia is the nice perspective in between that seams both storylines together. If you're still confused, just sit back and enjoy it XD

Yes, there will be direct quotes XDD I must say I'm quite proud that not only did I bring in some quote from the main game, I managed to find the scenes of Tseng's DMW, where Tseng and Zack briefly talked about the bombing of Banora (hence the helipad scene). It was quite a trouble fitting Meia and Haato such that the 'camera angle' couldn't catch them but I think it went fine. Then again, I'll disclaim now that such luck isn't to be expected all the time so I'll continue to do my best to ensure Meia remains hidden =P

I know the "The Luge Deluge" thing is quite lame, but I ran out of ideas! I guess intel is seriously not my cup of tea! XD

Now that most of you have given the go ahead to UNLEASH my long-windedness… I am writing very very long chapters… please sound the alarm if they're getting too long.

Oh! I must admit that I recently was checking my story stats. I have Singaporean readers! *hearts* Even though it's just one reader XD It is quite joyous to know that my fellow citizen(no 's') is reading my story!

**Disclaimer:** Scenes of Zack looking back at Banora, and talking to Tseng were taken from Crisis Core walkthrough and Tseng DMW (thanks to Sorumian and unknownblackfolder). Scene of Rod and the first signs of AVALANCHE is from Before Crisis (thanks to Hcloudxiii)


	24. Shooting

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 24 – Shooting**

The events that happened thereafter were like a blur. After concluding the whereabouts of the terrorist group AVALANCHE, Reno and Rod were immediately dispatched to Junon, where AVALANCHE was planning their second tier attack on Shinra. All the Turks were dispatched to Junon to get rid of straggling AVALANCHE operatives... All but Meia.

Meia went to Tseng, with as much displeasure as Haato earlier on. "Why?" She frowned at the 2nd-in-command.

Tseng's cool exterior was unfazed by her sudden action. "Why what, Meia?"

"Why didn't you send me along with the Turks?" she said.

Tseng set his pen down against the report on his desk. "I don't think you're ready to go on missions where the decision to kill is inevitable. Not yet, at least."

Her face darkened at the news. "It has been 10 months since Mr. Dexter's death! I'm over that already! I don't want to sit around and warm the bench while the others are doing Turk jobs!"

Tseng narrowed his eyes at her. "You ARE doing Turk-"

"I can do the work of an average Turk!" She insisted. "Even if that means taking the life of another!"

"Is that so?"

Before Meia could react, Tseng was behind her and pilfered her gun from her holster. Her hand hastily flew to her belt, suddenly lightened. "Return me my gun!" She said, flushing at being caught unaware.

Tseng placed the gun in her hand... And pointed its barrel at his chest. "Shoot me." He said coldly.

Meia stumbled back in shock. "What are you talking about?" She stammered.

"Didn't you say that you can do the job of an average Turk, even if it involves killing lives?" His brown eyes bored into her hazel ones. "I am standing in your way. All you need to do is pull the trigger and I won't hinder you anymore."

Meia stared at him in disbelief. "I... I won't go around shooting my comrade just because they don't allow me to do what I want." She muttered, pulling her gun away from Tseng's chest.

Tseng took a step forward, pulling his gun as he did so. He locked Meia in a tight grip and placed the barrel of his gun at her temple. "Still too weak, Meia." His voice penetrated her body like an icy chill. "Comrade or not, if they are orders, we obey. Meia struggled herself free in vain. "Turks are trained to obey orders, even if it defies our morals. Therefore unlike you, if there is a necessity, I will kill you. So I suggest you better stop that compassion thing of yours."

He released her and she fell onto the ground, her heart pounding and her eyes brimming with tears at Tseng's actions. "... I understand." She said.

"Your time to go for missions will come." Tseng's tone was so final that Meia knew that it would be the last time she can mention this. "Now please go before I give you a lecture on how you shouldn't let your guard down even in the Shinra Building."

Meia quickly stood up and left the room, her head near exploding with thoughts and new revelations. When she disappeared around the corner, Tseng returned to his report writing... With a compassion in his heart for Meia that he'll never tell.

* * *

><p>The mission to Junon to eliminate all AVALANCHE operatives and protect President Shinra was fairly successful. AVALANCHE fled the scene thanks to the appearance of 1st Class SOLDIER Sephiroth and President Shinra returned to HQ unscathed.<p>

"And after all that shit we've put through for the President, not even a single thanks?" Complained Rod. "You would think that he would at least say thanks after we saved his ass TWICE in Junon."

"Rod!" Cried Meia, covering his mouth hastily.

It was rare that Veld would meet all of the Turks together in the conference room of Floor 66. He first commended them for their excellent work, then he gave a short summary of the mission that happened in Junon, including the details of Fuhito, Shears and Elfe. Elfe is the leader of AVALANCHE, Shears is the tactician and 2nd in command while Fuhito is something like the intelligence of the group.

"It's like… fighting a hundred men all at once." Rod shuddered as he described his encounter with Elfe. "Even that Sephiroth guy had problems taking her down. Don't underestimate their leader, Elfe."

Meia resisted a shudder as she heard the updates. They sounded like powerful and intelligent people. Though she still desired to be out doing Turk missions, she was a little (just a little) glad that she didn't run into them. She quickly shook that thought out of her head, for that was not a professional thing to think about. Still…

_It's probably inevitable that I'll see them, I have to prepare myself to fight them. _She thought to herself wisely. _If Rod is having some difficulty fighting Shears, who knows how I'll fare against any of the three of them?_

Meia was humbled when Veld showed appreciation for her in identifying AVALANCHE and even more touched when he approached her after the meeting expressing his regrets for not being able to place her in a mission yet. Meia shook her head, she knew that Tseng wanted her to be safe and mentally well before continuing as a Turk, even though Tseng resorted to cruel ways to make her realize it.

With the new threat, the Turks are working doubly hard to obtain as much information as they can about their new enemy. Meia felt more tired than usual, because the dreams that she used to have a year ago are coming back again.

She had a dream again, but this one plagued her the most. However, this time it showed her a different side of her nightmare.

* * *

><p>Despite the tension between Shinra and Wutai over the mako reactors, the slums lived life as usual. Yes, the war belonged to Shinra, but that involved the company and the people in the Upper Plate. People who lived beneath the 'pizza' are aware of the situation, but not largely affected. In a sense it is a blessing in disguise, to live life without worries of the world outside.<p>

However, to say that the people living in the slums are immune to the effects of the war well... that thought is but a mere illusion.

**In the dream, Meia was omniscient. She watched her dream-like self chat with Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan**_**.**_** As if they didn't have a single care in the world despite their circumstances.**

They were chatting happily and chasing each other along the walkway from Sector 3 to Sector 4. Naturally, because they didn't have the money to take the sector trains, they often travelled between sectors on foot. These trips usually take an hour or more, but to the children the time was not wasted at all and none of them felt tired despite the distance.

The four of them sometimes travel to Sector 2 to look for odd jobs to do. It was those rare times that Meia had the first taste of combat... Enough for her to survive the few months before Reno found her. Not that Meia knew then what was going to happen.

**Meia's heart tightened as she saw them nearing Sector 4. "No!" She yelled but the four children did not react to another presence next to them. **

_**They can't see nor hear me. **_**Meia realized in horror. "Don't go into Sector 4!" Meia shouted again but she was interrupted by Carmelle exclaiming where their bag of gil was. **

They frantically searched their belongings till Sunny gave a sigh.

"Meia, you silly oaf!" Laughed Sunny. "You left our payment on the countertop in Mrs. Deen's shop!"

The dream-like Meia's eyes grew wide. "So I did!" She exclaimed.

Tihan shook his head at her. "How is it possible that people with photographic memories can still forget?"

Meia stuck a tongue playfully at him. "I'll go back and get it from Mrs. Deen!" She left her bag with Tihan, asking him to take care of it.

"I'll go with you." offered Sunny.

"It's alright, I'll be back in an hour!" Meia grinned.

_**If only I had allowed them… **_**Meia thought in horror as she watched the dream Meia insist on going alone.**

Carmelle gave a concerned look. "It's dangerous out there. We should all go together."

"No no, I can't have all of you follow me just because of my forgetfulness!" Meia insisted. "I'll be right back! Besides, there weren't many monsters around on our way back, I'll be fine. See you at dinner tonight!"

_**There's… There's nothing I could do…**_ **Meia realized in despair. Was she going to see for herself how the disaster unfolded? **

As the younger Meia tore down the walkway back to Sector 3, Tihan frowned. "I hope she's alright. Did you see the way she was pulling at her hair?"

**Meia smiled. Tihan was always sensitive to the changes of emotions in people.**

Smiling at how sensitive Tihan can get, Carmelle patted his head. "I know, Meia seems a little edgy today. I don't know why too." She stared at the running figure of the little girl… still visible in their sight.

"Nevertheless… usually the things that get her worried to the extent of pulling her hair… they often don't end up being the happiest of events, isn't it?" Tihan sighed, running his hand through his chocolate brown hair. "Sunny?"

Sunny shook his head. "I trust that Meia will be safe. Let's go back and wait for her."

**As the three children walked back to Sector 4, Meia had no choice… but to follow them.**

(A/N: I simply must interrupt the dream by checking that you guys KNOW that Meia is basically watching the whole scene from an omniscient point of view right? She can see and hear them, but not the other way around.

Normal words for what happened back then. Bold words are what Meia did in the dream. Italics and bold means Meia's thoughts.)

* * *

><p>None of them expected the situation to be such.<p>

The troops rushed into the slums, a mere half an hour after they were separated from Meia. Shooting and lots of shouting were heard in the distance.

"What in the world is going on?" Carmelle looked up from their makeshift little stove.

Sunny stuck his head out of the pavilion. "No idea."

Tihan stared at the other little children who were present.

**Meia looked at them lovingly as well. What started off as a suggestion from Meia has become a routine for the four of them to round up as many homeless children as they could find in the Sector 4 slums and invite them for dinner.**

"It's not safe." Tihan commanded. "Dinner will be cancelled tonight, children." At age 13, Tihan spoke with the maturity unlike one. "Run along now."

With the children safely away, Sunny and Carmelle quickly covered their makeshift stove and the three of them hid behind an old, unused truck which has become their bed.

**Meia stood near them, her heart was aching to touch them and give all of them a hug. "Sunny… Carmelle… Tihan…" Her voice trembled, her soul helpless at what was to come.**

An army of soldiers ran into the open area near the old truck. One of them called for their attention. "We will not go down without a fight, my comrades!"

"Never surrender!" His men proclaimed.

"Today we will claim Shinra and end the Wutai war once and for all!"

The men cheered.

Shaking his head at the sight, Sunny turned to Tihan and Carmelle. "When Meia comes back, we'll quickly escape together." Sunny decided. "If we are separated along the way, let's meet at Sector 5, Wall Market."

Tihan nodded in agreement while Carmelle shook her head with worry. "I hope Meia is alright." She peeked out from the top of the truck to search for signs of Meia.

Soon after, Tihan recognized the distinctive blue and purple uniforms. The Shinra SOLDIER uniform. He thought it was ridiculous that a mere electric company would have their own fighting force, but then again, there were many things in the world that befuddled him.

"SOLDIERS!" Exclaimed Sunny. "There will be a physical intervention!"

"It's not safe here." Tihan frowned at the circumstances. "We should go but Meia…"

"I'm not going without Meia." Carmelle said firmly.

Tihan and Sunny nodded. "I suppose that's unanimous." Sunny declared.

"Drop your weapons, Wutai troops!" One of the 2nd Class SOLDIER announced. "You are trespassing Midgar without permission!"

"You ain't scaring us, Shinra imbeciles!" One of them responded.

"We will take Shinra down today! Even if it means tearing apart the entire town!"

**Meia stiffened, realizing that there was no way her friends could escape from the fight. She ran towards the soldiers, wanting to grab their guns and throw them away but she went through them as if they were ghosts… or was she the ghost?**

They seem to have realized that there was no escape for them as well. "Cetra give us strength." Carmelle prayed. "We… we'll be alright, Sunny. We'll be alright, Tihan."

"**Carmelle…" Meia scrambled back onto her feet and ran towards her. "I don't want you to go!" She sobbed at the edge of the truck, but none of the children noticed. "I still have so much to tell you!"**

"Carmelle." Sunny embraced her and held her head against his cheek. "If only I have the strength… if only I have the strength… I'll never make you suffer like this."

_**Sunny…**_** Her heart was on the verge of breaking. **_**It's none of your fault. It's all mine.**_

"… Sunny." She wrapped an arm around him. "Thank you for everything you've done for us. … I love you, you know?" She murmured softly to herself, but Sunny heard it.

He released her briefly and smiled. "I know. Sorry that it took me so long to tell you that I feel the same way too." Carmelle's eyes widened at the news.

**Meia gasped as well. **_**They do love each other!**_** She realized. **_**Now it's too…**_

Despite the intensity of the gunfire, Tihan grinned at the two of them. "About time you two admitted it! If we ever get out of this mess, you two better not run away from your feelings anymore!"

"Ti… Tihan!" Sunny exclaimed, blushing. "You knew about this?"

"Meia and I often talked at length about you two."

_**Oh Tihan…**_** She frowned. She reached up to touch Tihan's hair, but she felt only resistance, no touch. **_**I've missed you.**_

Sunny and Carmelle looked away quickly. "I can't believe you two." Carmelle muttered and Tihan grinned again, more because of the fact that Carmelle had never looked happier.

**His face turned somber and Meia actually was stunned to actually hear his thoughts: **_**If we ever get out of this mess.**_

* * *

><p><strong>The dream was starting to flicker and move. With horror, Meia realized that the dream is going to change. "No!" She screamed at no one in particular. "I want to see who killed them!"<strong>

**She struggled to keep her eyes focused but the sight in front of her slowly morphed. Now, Meia saw the younger self skipping down the walkway, with the bag of gil in her hand.**

"**Damn it!" She cursed. "I want to know who killed Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan!"**

**Meia knew very well what happened. Photographic memory never makes you forget.**

Running over to the nearest passerby, the dream-like Meia inquired what had happened. Upon hearing the news, she tore down Sector 4, ignoring the cries of protests from the passer-by. She pushed and shoved the crowd roughly. Her mind then was only fixed on ensuring the safety of the ones she loved.

Her run slowed down to a walk as she neared the pavilion.

**Meia no longer felt the need to follow her dream-self towards the truck. She knew what she saw… and she couldn't bear to see it again.**

"Sunny? … Carmelle? … Tihan?" The dream-Meia called them, shaking their bodies. There was no response, just the receding warmth in the dead bodies. She bent over the corpses, trembling.

_**It's all my fault. **_**Meia felt her thoughts and guilt overwhelming the younger self.**_** If I had allowed them to follow me back to Sector 3… I knew that something bad was going to happen, but I didn't let them come with me to Sector 3.**_

**Meia is, of course, smarter than that. She knew that she is not entirely at fault. She didn't know that whatever impending disaster would happen in Sector 4. She simply decided for them that Sector 4 would be the safest. Meia knew that she's not to blame. But… if taking the blame can fill up the emptiness in her heart over the loss…**

The dream-Meia was still crying over the dead bodies of the friends who took care of her and became her family.

"You… You can't leave me alone. I shouldn't have gone back on my own. … Please wake up. Please… I beg of you…" Her words slowly melted into sobs and then she was all alone.

Meia finally woke up from her dream, her eyes wide open and bloodshot due to her fatigue. She struggled hard not to cry but it was difficult. She curled up in a ball and sobbed, "When will this guilt stop?"

* * *

><p>March 0001<p>

Reno was a little quiet as he brought Meia through the winding pavements of the alleys located Sector 4, close to Sector 3. Meia tried to think of possible reasons that Reno would wake her up at 4 in the morning and bringing her to her former home.

When he finally stopped, Meia looked around her environment. It was not the pavilion that she used to live in. She usually walked by this area and tried to avoid it. She had often heard rumours of shady business going on and thought that it was best that she didn't get involved.

"I don't recall getting an assignment with you." She gave him a puzzled look, looking around for any signs of activity. The area was quite empty, save a few Hedgehog Pies in the distance.

Reno's back was facing her as he walked towards the steps of an old, dilapidated house. "It's the 5th of March, isn't it?"

Meia drew a quick breath as she realized why she is here. "Alyssa…" She said softly.

"I… I killed her right here." Reno's voice was lifeless as he circled the area. "She was playing with the metal bird that your friend made for her."

Meia stared at the spot, as if she was there when it happened. She tried to say something to comfort Reno, but no words formed. Neither did her mind try to fit any details and facts together. She simply just felt the cool morning air on her face and the stillness of Sector 4. It has been a long time since Meia woke up in the middle of the night and sat on top of the truck where the four of them slept, staring into the darkness around Sector 4, feeling the cold air and silence… like what she's doing now.

It was Reno who spoke again. "How did you know Alyssa?"

Meia broke away from her reverie and replied, "She was one of the children whom we fed." Upon seeing Reno's puzzled face, she laughed. "We sort of uh… gathered as many slums kids as we can find and the four of us gave them free dinners every Sunday."

Reno looked surprised. "For free?"

"Yeah. We had to work extra of course, seeing that there were ten to twenty mouths to feed at each time but we had fun. The children also helped out and chipped in with whatever they have." Meia's face turned thoughtful as she recalled the past again. "I remember it was those times that made Carmelle more motherly and it probably was the reason why she wanted to build an orphanage for them."

Noticing how she fell silent, Reno didn't probe further. Everyone had their own past to fight. Today, he's here to settle his nightmare once and for all. "I never intended to kill Alyssa." He said, squatting down and placing a hand on the cold floor. "She had absolutely nothing to do with the mission. She just happened to be there at the wrong time. She's the first innocent life I took." Meia noticed how his hand clenched into a fist. "It doesn't matter anymore." His voice was once again, hard and cold. "After Alyssa it didn't matter who I kill, as long as they don't hinder my assignment."

Meia walked towards Reno and bending down, pinched both his cheeks hard. "Wake up!" She said.

Reno gave a yell and fell back. "What the heck was that for, Meia?" He asked furiously.

Meia looked at him with confidence. "I know that Brother Reno is not the merciless killer that he sees himself." She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "If you were merciless and unfeeling, you would have left me in Sector 4 for dead. You are a nice person. It's just that you have a job that prevents you from being nice! Thinking that you're condemned to a life of bloodshed will NOT make you feel better!"

"… Why?"

"Why what?" Meia asked.

"Why are you so sure that I'm a nice guy?" Reno mumbled.

"Because…" Her voice dropped low as she trailed off. "Because I don't want to believe that you're mean." She turned around and tried to walk in a randomized direction so that Reno would not think that she was unable to look at him. "I… simply believe that you're nice, deep down inside. Because I… I don't want to see you so full of guilt."

Reno saw that she turned around, and her eyes were full of tears. "Meia…" He said, his cold voice breaking at the sight of her face.

"I often asked myself… when will the guilt stop?" She continued, not caring about the tears running down her face. "I beat up myself about the fact that if I had allowed Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan to follow me back to Mrs. Deen's shop, they wouldn't have been caught up in the fight in Sector 4." She sniffed and choked a little. "The truth is, the guilt will never stop until we chose to come to terms with our mistakes and move on.

"Stop trying to feel that you can never atone for your sins." Meia said, walking back to him. "Yes, we can never truly atone for them, but… but the least we can do is make amends… by protecting as many people as we can."

"But we're the Turks." Reno pointed out flatly.

"Our job is not who we are." Meia smiled.

Reno shook his head. "I'm… I'm still not sure what you mean, Meia."

Meia sighed and wiped her tears. "Don't think you're a monster. We are merely humans whose actions are bound by our circumstances. But the decisions we make will change our life." She pointed to the package in his hand. "Make the decision to let go of what you've done. I… I believe Alyssa has long forgiven you in the Lifestream."

The silent Turk now nodded. He knelt down and removed the string tied to the package and allowed the brown paper fall onto the ground. "Hey little Alyssa…" Reno felt stupid for talking to the ground. "It took me a while to find you, sorry yo? I… I kinda chickened out each time I thought about it." Reno placed a white lily on the spot. "It's… not much, little Alyssa." He spoke, in a voice so gentle that startled Meia. "Happy birthday anyway. And… sorry."

* * *

><p>It was fast approaching 6 in the morning. They walked back to the Shinra Building in silence. Meia's mind was working hard at what happened earlier on. She pouted, thinking back about the Reno that she has grown to know more about.<p>

_On the surface, Brother Reno was simply annoying and laid-back and_ _tactless and did I say annoying? _Her lips folded into a thin line at her memories of his crazy antics.

"What's with your face, yo?" Reno asked her. "You look grumpy that you didn't take an extra jacket this morning."

"Huh?" Her expression broke into one that was taken by surprise. "N… Nothing!" She stammered. "What makes you come to that conclusion anyway?" She laughed.

"Are you cold?" He frowned. Shrugging off his blazer, he placed it around her shoulders. "There we go." He grinned. "Now you'll be warm enough."

"But you…"

"I'm the Almighty Reno. I don't need a blazer." He smiled arrogantly. "The flaming hair of mine will keep me warm!"

_He is totally not aware of what he's saying at such an early hour. _Meia mumbled nevertheless. "Thanks."

_Yes, he's annoying but…_

_He can be really nice and caring towards me. He always looks out for me and is concerned whether I'm doing well as a Turk._

All of a sudden, she felt her face flush a little. _Don't think too much about yourself!_ She chided inside. _He only treats you like a sister! He already likes Sister Cissnei!"_

Reno was silent again, walking a little ahead of her and scratching at his neck lazily.

_Recently Brother Reno has been confiding in me a lot about his past. _She thought to herself._ Does he really see me as such an important person such that he would share his darkest self to me? Working in Shinra makes him… makes us all like monsters… But… it's times like this… visiting Alyssa… crying over our darkest fears… that I feel that we're as human as we can get._

The words and ideas tossed and turned in her mind, keeping her so preoccupied that she didn't realize that they were back on the Turks' Floor till Reno spoke.

"Meia?"

"Hm?" She glanced up to look at him.

"… Thanks."

She grinned. "Stop being 'emo' now, that's not the annoying Brother Reno that I know."

"Now, what do you mean by 'annoying'?" He bared his teeth at her with mock offense. Meia grinned back at him.

Rude's voice interrupted their conversation. "Reno."

"Good morning Brother Rude!" Meia greeted him cheerfully.

If Rude was curious as to why the two of them were found together so early in the morning, he did not show it. He simply nodded good morning to Meia. "Reno, time for work." He said with a calm manner. "We leave at 7 sharp."

"Oh man? I just came back from my walk and it's work again? Give me a break, yo?" As Reno's voice rambled down the corridor, Meia smiled to herself. Despite his constant complaints, Reno is always the first to react to the mission and the first to tune his head to focus on the mission. Meia has lots to learn from the Turk with kaleidoscopic personality.

* * *

><p>(AN: August)

Sorry folks, I kinda realized that I committed suicide by writing Meia as a philosophical person… when I'm not a very deep and philosophical person myself. I'll try and outdo myself each time, but till then, I hope the words Meia say still make sense!

(A/N: Recent)

Thank you to TWA, Takara, Tifa and Orange for your reviews! You guys deserve a big, virtual hug from me!

Okay, long chapter up there, less talk here. =)


	25. Club Duel

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 25 – Club Duel **

16 March 0001

"Club Duel…" Meia stood outside the den, glancing at the faded sign above the doorway. "This is the place, huh?" Taking a deep breath, she marched in.

She looked around the area, her eyes picking up every detail in the hall that could help her in her current mission. The floor is not tiled but merely mud and pebbles compressed to become dirt floor. Dim lamps hung overhead and on the walls, making the hall look dark and dingy. Meia cringed at the shady environment.

She walked along the two lines of bouncers, ignoring the weird stares at her uniform and her age. In the distance she heard yelling, cheering and jeering all at the same time.

"Go King!"

"Don't let him get you!"

"Mess him up good!"

Peeping through the inner doorway to the arena, she watched a man in a maroon crew-necked t-shirt deliver a powerful front kick at his opponent. The opponent staggered back clumsily, and fell onto the floor with a loud thud.

"King! King! King!" The crowd chanted.

The man whom they called King spoke in a loud and arrogant voice. "Come on! Isn't there anyone here that's tough enough to beat me?"

_That's him! What a powerful kick! _Her eyes widened in shock. _Oh Gaia… What have I gotten myself into?_ She pulled at her pigtails anxiously. Her mind flitted back to the moment when Tseng talked to her a few days ago…

* * *

><p>Tseng approached her in the pantry room. She was still in her pajamas (because she missed breakfast AND self-training session… thanks to a late night talk with Reno. "Brother Tseng!" She hastily stood up and tried to explain herself. "I er… I overslept so my uniform…" She gestured frantically but noticed that all Tseng did was pull a thin smile. "I'm sorry?" She ended with a hopeful note.<p>

"I shall close one eye today." He frowned. "Please remember that you should be in your uniform at all times during working hours. That means… from 7 A.M to 7 P.M…. or longer depending on your mission."

"I understand!" Meia answered.

"This is not what I'm here for. I'm here to tell you informally that you've been released from your probation."

Meia's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"You will be able to do outfield missions with the rest of the Turks now." Tseng nodded. "After your interrogation with Apollo and the trip to Banora with Haato _without permission,_" He said, emphasizing on 'without permission'. "Veld has decided that you've been training hard enough. Alana is satisfied with your competence in the handgun, and you seem to have fully controlled using multiple Materia." Meia tried not to flinch under his gaze. She was thankful enough that Tseng never brought up the Banora incident at all.

She suddenly gasped and grabbed Tseng's arm. "Brother Veld knows about me going out of Banora?" She exclaimed.

Gently shrugging her hand off his arm, he replied. "… No, he doesn't know about it." Meia gave him a grateful look which he chose not to acknowledge. "There will be a meeting with Veld on Floor 66 in half an hour, just so you know." With that, he strode out of the door elegantly.

* * *

><p>All the Turks were present in the conference room. Veld first started off by congratulating Rod again for his superb performance while patrolling Sector 8. Rod smiled as politely and said nothing arrogant, leaving Cassie almost suffocating dramatically from the breath that she has been holding in.<p>

"Also, Meia." Veld said.

Meia stood up. "Yes sir?" She asked.

"I'm sure you've heard from Tseng but you've now been officially released from probation. You are now free to join them for outfield missions. I do regret restricting your missions for more than a year but…" He emphasized, narrowing his eyes at her. "It's not time for you to relax. Do your best to show yourself worthy to the Turks, and make sure you do not screw up."

"Yes sir!" She said happily among the applause from the other Turks.

"Back to business." He cleared his throat as Meia sat down again. "All of you have received it on your PHS, but I'm going to say it again. 1st Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos are killed in action, together with the other SOLDIERs who disappeared with them." Meia held her tongue. She has learnt over the past year that many things that are official may not be true (At that moment, she tried hard not to think of Shelke again). However, it was not her business to interfere with the politics involved.

The Turks nodded at Veld's words, their own thoughts were masked in their serious faces. Veld continued. "These are your orders. The President has decided to bring in SOLDIER to deal with AVALANCHE. We're short on manpower, so you're going to recruit SOLDIER candidates. Reno, Rude. I'm leaving this mission in your hands."

"Understood." Turning to Reno, he smirked behind his glasses. "… Hmph. So I'm working with you again."

Reno smirked as well, leaning back on his own chair. "What are you saying, Rude? Admit it, you're happy you get to work with me."

As they continued squabbling, Meia smiled to herself. The two of them, who initially started off as partners who were forced to work together, have actually begun to enjoy working with each other. _Things, feelings and emotions do change, even in a monster company like Shinra._ She smiled to herself.

"Meia, you're coming too."

_What?_ "For real?" She asked excitedly, momentarily forgetting about her manners. She beamed at the news. "Yes Brother Rude!" She grinned.

* * *

><p><em>And so… here I am.<em> She thought to herself, ignoring the anxiety gnawing at her heart.

In her mind came the image of Vincent Valentine, a faceless man in a Turk uniform. Meia has always known Vincent Valentine as an outstanding Turk and since she became a Turk herself, she read many articles and reports made by him. She was impressed by his objectiveness and excellence in his job. However, she noted that there were no pictures of the Turk. In fact, after 1977 there were no records of his deeds. His last mission was to Nibelheim. Meia concluded that he died, though there wasn't anyone around, not even Veld, who could confirm this.

_Oh Mr. Vincent Valentine… What will you do on your very first outfield mission? _She thought to herself, eventually taking a deep breath. _I suppose you're dead so… please help me from the Lifestream… Here we go._

She walked into the arena confidently. Suddenly the room quietened and all eyes were on her. She felt her heart pounding. If she were to die here…

Whatever her mind was thinking about, it was interrupted as one of the men standing by the corner walked towards her. "Hey little girl," He said with a sneer. "You lost your mommy?"

Meia felt her face burn as hoots and laughter were heard from the back. She plucked her courage and replied him, staring straight into his brown eyes. "No, I have work to do, so please… Out of my way." Meia took a step and swung her right leg into his face. The man was taken by surprise and was knocked flat onto the dirt floor.

The room was almost silent by her roundhouse kick. Even Meia herself was a little surprised at her own strength. _That weak?_ She frowned to herself. She was very aware that her lack of strength is her weakness but if that's how people outside Shinra fight then…

Murmurs rose among the crowd at the sight of the sprawled man.

"No way!"

"Did she just knock Eddie out with a kick?"

"She's just a girl!"

"A little girl!"

_Stereotypes._ She frowned to herself.

King roared with laughter. "Looks like I've finally got an interesting challenge!"

"Are you Mr. King?" Meia asked, not allowing her fear affect her countenance. The hall burst into laughter at her formalities.

Even King laughed. "I'm King, NOT Mr. King." Ignoring the laughter that continued after his comment, King stood upright and stared her down. "The strongest person in this club is called that, and I've been called that for a very long time now. Who are you?"

Meia gave a sheepish grin. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

King frowned at the girl, trying to figure her childish behaviour and the powerful kick that she gave Eddie just now. "What do you want?" He asked roughly. Somehow the girl was not to be trifled with, despite her petite figure and childish countenance.

Meia tried to stand a little straighter to look taller and more intimidating. "Everyone in this club. You're all going to be SOLDIER candidates.

The hall erupted into a buzz.

"She's from Shinra!"

"A Turk?"

"A little girl becoming a TURK?"

Meia rolled her eyes at the comments. King walked towards her slowly, not afraid to take his time to build up his intimidating posture. He leant forward at her face. "And if I refuse?"

Trying hard not to flinch, she pulled out her handgun. "I was hoping you won't do that, Mr. King." She said with a little sigh. "If you refuse, I'll take all of you away by force."

Her words are met with even more hoots and laughter. A bouncer walked from behind her and yelled something incomprehensible, his fist going straight at her face before his words do. She dodged to the side and pulled trigger of her handgun, hitting him on the arm. With a yell, he fell onto the floor.

_Gosh… He just attacked like that! This place has no rules! _She stared at the bouncer, horrified.

King only laughed at this scene. "You get it now, little girl? The strongest in the arena, the King, will decide all the rules. If you can't handle the strongest of us, go home and cry to your mommy." The arena snickered along with King.

_I have no choice… do I? _Meia pouted a little. "Alright then. I shall be the new King."

"Are you outta ya mind?" Someone from the side shouted at her.

Ignoring his comment, Meia nodded at King. "Mr. King, I challenge you to a duel. Fight me!"

"In your wildest dreams!" Another voice spoke. As she turned, a man with a brown crew-cut hairstyle ran into the combat area. "You'll have to fight the four strongest guys first before you reach King!"

Meia shrugged. "Fine with me" She looked at her gun briefly. Then, Meia stared at King. "I'll fight you later then, Mr. King." She smiled.

"Stop being so cocky, little girl!" The man yelled at her blatant lack of seriousness in their fight. He ran towards her, his fist rearing back for a punch.

* * *

><p>With succession, Meia defeated the four fighters in Club Duel. Relying on her agility and aim of her handgun, she took down the thugs easily. The crowd was growing more excited with every victory she claimed. Each step she took was one step closer to fulfilling her objective.<p>

"I've defeated the best four fighters in the arena." She said smoothly, looking at King straight. She suffered a few bruises and aches on her stomach from the occasion punches earlier on. It hurt a lot, but she wasn't going to show it. "Mr. King, please fight me!"

"You're really strong for a little girl," King admitted, rising from a chair. "I must say I am impressed, but this is where your luck ends."

"That wasn't luck." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just how strong can you be, I wonder?" She smiled as she prepared herself in a fighting stance.

"Well, you'll see for yourself. Let's get going." He cracked his knuckled with delight. "Entertain me!"

Meia stilled her heart and steadied her aim to shoot, but King was much quicker than that. He ran towards her, his fist right in front of him. She dodged to the left but immediately King responded by swinging his right fist into her face. She fell onto the floor.

"Ow! That hurts!" She glared at King.

"Of course it hurts! No more games, little girl!" King punched his fists together and went straight for the kill.

Meia did a quick backward roll to regain composure and balance. She swiftly cart-wheeled across the arena, her cheek still stinging from the pain. _Avoid his attacks… as much as possible! _She thought to herself.

However, King's attacks were not only powerful, they were fast too. Meia barely had enough time to dodge his offense. _Stay focused! _She told herself. _Don't be distracted! Stay in the fight long enough to find his flaw!_

And so she did. The battle lasted for 5 whole minutes, with King being on the offense and Meia narrowly missing every attack. The crowd was chanting, "King! King! King!" when Meia finally realized what his flaw was. She smiled.

"Still able to smile, little girl?" He sneered at her. Despite the full-frontal attacks the past 5 minutes, King barely looked tired. "Not for long, I'm afraid!" With that, he stepped up on his strength, each swing looking dangerously more powerful than the next. To his surprise, Meia started dodging each of his attacks gracefully and easily.

_How is that possible?_ He frowned to himself. _Wasn't she struggling to avoid my attacks earlier on?_

In his slight distraction, Meia saw the golden opportunity. Doing another roll to the side, she steadied her body with her hands on the ground, bent her legs and kicked King's shin.

King yowled in pain, toppling over as he fell. The crowd went berserk at King's stumble. Meia slowly got up from her lying position, thankful that her plan worked. If King successfully blocked her attack, she wouldn't have much time to recover on her feet, giving King ample time to defeat her.

King was speaking as she pulled herself out of her thoughts. "How… How did you do that?" He looked up at her. "Dodging my attacks flawlessly?"

"The crowd brought you down." She smiled sweetly. "With their chanting to cheer you on, you subconsciously rhythmised your attacks according to the crowd's chants."

King stared at the floor, reflecting on what happened seconds earlier. "You're… you're right." He mumbled with wonder. "But this is not over!" He hastily got up and Meia braced herself for his attack. "I hardly use this on anyone but since you're such a brat…" King sneered. "Take this!" He held out his hand. "Fire!"

The crowd gasped in surprise as flames erupted from his hand.

"Materia!"

"King is resorting to Materia!"

Meia rolled to the side, missing the fire. "Surprise element?" She cocked her head at him.

"Always works." King sneered. "You'll never win me!" He stretched out his palm again. "Fira!"

A larger flame burst out of his hands, travelling towards her like a tornado. She had no choice but to deliver her surprise element as well.

"Ice!" She yelled. A wall of bluish-water materialized and solidified, blocking the fire from harming her. As soon as she recovered, she braced herself and said. "Aero."

As how she envisioned it to be, the wind picked her up and lifted her. Her mind was still concentrating till she found the perfect wind strength. The crowd roared at the sight.

"She can fly?"

"No! That's Aero!"

"You mean we can use Materia like that?"

"This is the end, Mr. King." She shouted from the air. "There's no way you can reach me up here."

"Come back down!" King roared, his hand readying for another spell.

Meia shook her head. "Silence." She said.

King choked and glared at her. Meia lowered herself down onto the floor, wet with melted ice.

"She silenced him!"

"She can equip so many Materia?"

King raced towards her and they fell into another bout of melee attacks, but this time, due to the impatience and fury in King, he wasn't able to focus properly. Taking advantage of his lack of control, she swiftly knocked him down.

The crowd turned silent, murmurs started around the arena again.

"King… He lost."

"She doesn't look injured at all!"

"She's… our new King?"

"Or Princess?"

"… Anymore challengers?" Meia asked tentatively. Her heart was pounding and she was taking long, deep breaths to stabilise her heart rate. The arena was deathly quiet. King still lay flat onto the floor. "No one else? Well then, shall we make a move?" She asked cheerfully. "The truck waiting outside will bring us to our destination. Please carry Mr. King along as well."

* * *

><p>When Meia emerged from the bottom of the ship, she spotted Reno and Rude standing around. Rude spotted her first and she walked over towards them. "Good job." He said. "You've brought more candidates than expected."<p>

Reno turned around and grinned. "Not as many as we have." Meia rolled her eyes at him. "Erm… They… they didn't treat you badly, did they?" He asked, cocking his head towards the doorway leading to the electrified pen where the men were captured.

Meia shook her head. "They were pretty nice people once you get through them." She smiled. "They were talking and joking with me on the way to the cargo ship. Mr. Vincent Valentine must've been protecting me from the Lifestream!"

Yawning, Reno nodded. Hearing about Vincent Valentine from Meia was not a new thing to him at all. "Sounds great. Okay you folks, I'm going to take a nap. Don't wake me till you've reached Midgar, yo?" He walked towards the staircase leading down and disappeared.

Meia and Rude looked at each other for a moment. To Meia's surprise, Rude broke the silence by asking "How did it go?"

"I… expected it to be a lot more difficult, actually." She commented sheepishly.

Rude smirked behind his dark glasses. "We don't give missions that the Turks cannot do… not when they're rookies, at least." Meia nodded with understanding. "That being said, Shinra's training has produced very fine SOLDIERs and Turks, improving year by year. The weakest member in the fighting force is easily stronger than most civilians."

"I see." She nodded. "And… Brother Rude?" Rude looked at her, prompting her to continue. "I never knew that we have to force them. I've always thought entry into SOLDIER is voluntary."

"We have to resort to violence sometimes. It's not something we can do anything about."

"Why?" She frowned, her brain working out the details again. "Wait a minute… You've scouted for SOLDIER candidates before right? Why is it that there is still a lack of SOLDIERs after all that we've hauled?"

Rude stared at her for a while. "… Not all SOLDIER candidates become SOLDIERS. If they fail to meet the basic combat expectations, they will either become infantrymen or… released." Meia thought that his tone wavered ever so slightly at the last word and thought back on how the Turks once wanted to 'dispose' her when she couldn't meet the expectations of being a Turk.

"Hey y'all," Rod appeared behind them and gave Meia a little slap on the back. "Whatcha all up to?"

Before she could reply, a shout from below the decks interrupted their conversation. "What was that?" Meia asked, spinning around.

"Trivial fights." Rude answered.

Rod shrugged as well. "Things real men do." He declared with a feral grin. Meia frowned but said nothing.

The rough scuffle of feet and the shouts and cries of pain told Meia that the fight wasn't trivial at all. "It sounds pretty bad actually." She removed the gun from the holster. "I better go check it out."

"Meia," Rude called out. "Go wake Reno up. Rod, you check it out. I'll stay here and take care of things."

"I'm on it." Rod said, disappearing into the shadowy staircase leading to the electric pen.

"Guess I'll go find Brother Reno then." She nodded at Rude. She walked down the same staircase but instead of going further down to where the electric pen was, she took a right turn at the first landing into one of the cabins. From the small round window, she saw Reno sleeping inside, on the sofa-bed.

Softly opening the door, she spoke. "Brother Reno?" There was no response. She entered the room and approached the sleeping figure. "Brother Reno?" She watched the sleeping Turk with mild interest. Despite his informal and aloof attitude, Reno's sleeping countenance made him look less… vulgar.

She hastily looked away, blushing. Ever since the weird talk with KK last year, she found herself more and more conscious about Reno's presence. She found herself blushing more, she felt her heart pump faster when he looked at her… She shook her head to herself. _It can't be that I really…_

Suddenly, a loud crash from below woke the redhead up. In his shock, he whipped out his EMR and struck straight at Meia's face. With a yell, she scrambled back, narrowly missing the charged EMR. Reno stumbled back onto the bed too.

"Meia!" He exclaimed. "I was _that_ close to stunning you!" He stared at her. "What are you doing here? What was that noise?"

"I don't know, Brother Reno." Meia stammered, her heart was still palpitating from the shock earlier. "It sounded like it came from the electric pen downstairs. Rude told me to wake you up."

"Ah, ruffians creating havoc in the pen. Forget it then. Rude can handle it. I'm going back to sleep." He laid back onto the bed, covering himself with a blanket. "Close the door when you leave."

"Reno!" She said crossly. "Things really look pretty bad down there! Get up and help them!" She flung the blanket away, but failed to dodge Reno's charged EMR in time. She choked and fell onto the floor, unconscious from the bolt.

Reno got up from the bed and gave a sigh of relief. _Thank goodness Meia was one of the nosy people who will ensure that we don't skive. _He thought to himself. _Sorry Meia, but you've done your job to round up SOLDIER candidates, leave the rest to us._

He placed her gently on the bed, thanking Rude inwardly for working together with him. Earlier on, he spoke to Rude about not allowing Meia to be involved with the escorting of the SOLDIER candidates back to Midgar. The best way to keep her out of harm's way is to render her unconscious till they are safely back in Midgar. Reno has promised Veld and Tseng not to hinder her missions, but he is still keeping to his word by not putting her through more dangerous, ad-hoc missions. Rude was, at the very least, cooperative with Reno's concerns. With Meia out of the way, he can focus properly. He sighed to himself. Since when has he allowed himself to be so heavily affected by someone?

Reno let out a yawn. "I suppose I could go back to sleep now that…" He frowned at Meia, now sleeping on his comfy bed. "Another room, perhaps." He muttered, his face a little hot at the earlier thought of returning to the bed. Another crash, this one louder than the one earlier on, stopped him at the door. "Ah hell," He swore. "Nobody can sleep in this kind of racket anyway. What the hell is Rude up to?" With that, he went out, closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>(AN: August)

To those who are still not aware of the last part when Meia found Reno in the cabin. It is like this. It was already planned out by Reno and Rude that Rude will send Meia to Reno, who will knock her out till they reach Midgar. However, the commotion below (the fight between Azul and the player Turk) coincided with their plans anyway, so when Reno appeared he really was clueless about what's happening (thus settling the story discrepancy in BC and my story). Of course, the player Turk that runs all around Costa del Sol rounding up the escaped SOLDIER candidates will be Rod and not Meia.

I will do explanations like this… for the people who have no clue what Before Crisis is all about… and also to explain any discrepancies to those who knows BC. Of course there will be a slight mis-tally. After all, I added an additional Turk inside!

(A/N: Recently)

Oh and uh… I guess I made myself superfluous (if that's appropriate) by creating a blog. Honestly, it has been in my mind to find somewhere to pen my thoughts but I guess I finally did something about it. I'll post my true-er feelings about writing and other bonus author notes in there. This is also kinda to free up the authors' notes here (I tend to talk a lot, huh?)

That being said, I HOPE my authors' notes will decrease here =P if you're interested (will you?) in reading my thoughts and actions related to writing… you may check out aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com. Of course reading my blog is not compulsory. I'm doing it more for myself.

**Disclaimer:** Most scenes are taken directly or adapted from the website Gunshot Romance and YT user Hcloudxiii. Thereafter disclaimers will not be repeated :)


	26. Letter

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 26 – Letter**

17 March 0001

"And then when I woke up," ranted Meia furiously. "I was in my room, back in HQ!" She took a huge swig out of her chocolate milk.

"Relax, Meia." Kunsel said cheerfully, listening to her angry complaints of how her mission ended yesterday.

"How can I?" She frowned. "Brother Reno just knocked me unconscious so that he could send me home 'safely'!" Her fingers made inverted commas in the air, the carton of chocolate milk was dangerously held in her hand. She slammed the chocolate milk down onto the table lightly. "I swear if I see him along the corridors I'll "Aero" him till his hair naturally defies gravity!"

"Oh Meia…" Kunsel grinned. "You exaggerate so much, it's ridiculous. You'll forgive Reno. You always do."

Meia glared at him. "I won't! He shouldn't have hindered me like that! Even though the catching of the escaped SOLDIER candidates was not my official mission, whatever happened to thinking on one's feet?"

Kunsel shook his head. "You should be happy that someone out there is worried for your safety. Isn't it more important to know that you're that important to somebody?" He paused to watch her reaction, but she was too angry to notice. "Stop acting childish, Meia. Since when were you so easily angered?" He chided, though his face painted an amused expression.

Meia huffed. "They always say I'm feisty. That's besides the point, I'm pretty sure I won't forgive him."

"You'll forgive him." Was all Kunsel said in conclusion.

* * *

><p>31 March 0001<p>

She did forgive Reno eventually. In fact, she forgave him so quickly that the next time Kunsel found her in the cafeteria, she was playing with Reno's flaming red hair. Kunsel shook his head to himself, smiling. Like a child, Meia easily gets angry and she easily forgives and forgets.

There was another issue tugging at Kunsel's heart. For a while he suspected that Meia has started to grow romantic feelings for Reno the Turk, but he did not manage to confirm his suspicions till recently.

He frowned at how she often she talked about Reno, her reactions and behaviour relating to the Turk. _She either must be really tight-lipped around Reno, or else he's really… thick in his head._ Kunsel decided, for he hasn't seen Reno make any advances or even respond at all.

Kunsel thought it was pretty obvious._ Meia is still a child I guess. _He thought to himself. _It seems pretty hard for a child to hold their own secrets somehow. _He snorted at his pompous maturity. _As if I'm very old._ He grinned to himself. He was only 2 years older than Meia, a year younger than Zack Fair.

"Kunsel!" Meia shouted from across the cafeteria. "Over here!"

Puzzled, Kunsel walked over. He waved at Reno, who gave a slight nod in response. "What's up, Meia?" He smiled.

"You looked a little dazed so I thought you need some company."

Kunsel smiled. That's what he likes about her. She could be the most childish thing around, but when she shows care for someone, she will ensure that he will be welcome and not feel awkward at all.

"I was just er…" Kunsel tried to find an excuse for daydreaming in the middle of the cafeteria. "Thinking of some things."

Meia looked appeased by his reply, a likely reaction since she's guilty of it many times. "Want to join us for breakfast?" She waved to an empty chair next to her. "I was just telling Brother Reno that he should cut down on that maple syrup if he wants to be healthy." She turned to the redhead. "Aren't you diabetic?"

"Family history of diabetes!" Reno argued. "I'm not diabetic yet!"

"You will if you wolf down blueberry waffles at this alarming rate!" She shook a fork at Reno. "But anyway, Kunsel, join us for breakfast!" She tugged the side of his baggy SOLDIER pants, smiling.

Kunsel placed a hand on her head gently. "Another time, perhaps." Kunsel checked his PHS. "I've got a meeting in a few minutes. Just gonna grab a bite and go."

"Aww…" Meia pouted. "Well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow or something." She waved goodbye at him.

Once he was out of earshot, she noticed Reno giving her a look. "What?" She asked defensively.

"Kunsel looks pretty sweet on you." Reno observed. "And you two seem to be together really often. You two…" Meia gave him a quizzical look. "You know… have something for each other?"

Meia laughed. "No! Of course not Brother Reno! I love Kunsel, but he'll always be just a brother to me!" She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's with your weird observation?"

The redheaded Turk shrugged. "Just thought it's pretty cute that you two might have something going on. You know… you are of age and all."

_Oh._ She thought with a slight nagging disappointment in her heart. For a moment, she had given herself even the slightest hope to dare think that Reno was…

Meia brushed her fringe to the back of her head but she felt resistance. "Ow." She cried. When Reno looked at her with a slight inclination of his head as if to say what was wrong, she grinned. "Hair tangles."

As she undid the knot gently, Reno shook his head. "I don't understand how hair tangles are possible. Girls…" He muttered. "What?" He now asked defensively as he noticed Meia observing his face.

"You know what, Brother Reno?" Said Meia with a cheeky smile. "You should leave your hair long." She teased. "Then you'll know the pain of tangles."

Reno looked offended and his hand flew to his red mass of hair. "No!" He protested.

Meia held out her fingers to frame his face. "It'll be fun! Tie it in a low, thin ponytail…" She beamed. "You'll be as beautiful as Sister Cassie."

Now Reno looked appalled. "No way! I don't want to look like Cassie!"

"Why not?" Came Cassie's menancing voice.

"Sister Cassie!" Meia beamed at the sight of her.

"Why wouldn't you want to be beautiful like me?" She bent forward at Reno's face, challenging him.

"No way!" Reno grinned.

"You're gonna regret this!" She exclaimed as she tried to grind her fists against his temples, but Reno was too quick for that. He gracefully slipped away and jumped out of the bench. "I have beautiful hair by the way, you little unappreciative worm!" She half-yelled, half-laughed as Reno stood a distance away, his fists putting up a mock fighting stance.

Meia laughed at their playful actions. "But Brother Reno, I'm serious!" She straightened her facial expressions to look as serious as possible. "I think you'll look nice with a long ponytail."

Reno grimaced. "I'm not going to take fashion and beauty advice from a kid."

"A kid?" Meia exclaimed. "Like you're any more credible! You have weird red tattoos on your cheeks!"

"Cheekbones! And they make you look badass!" Reno insisted, covering his scarlet stripes in defense. "Long hair doesn't make you look badass!"

Meia's reply won the argument hands down. "Sephiroth." She smirked as Reno fell silent on her words. "I'm glad we're clear." She smiled radiantly and stood up from the table. "I'm going to head back to my desk to get some paperwork done. Catch you guys later." She spun around but not before catching Reno mutter to Cassie something about wasting shampoo.

* * *

><p><em>Another letter…<em> Her heart stopped a beat as she saw the immaculately white envelope on the table. She debated about whether to surrender the letter to Tseng but something held her back. Meia slipped the letter into the pocket of her blazer and walked towards the restroom.

The toilet was lit with white lights and empty. She walked into one of the cubicles and locked the door. Her hands gingerly opened the envelope, revealing a letter inside.

The letter was written as follows:

Meia:

If you want to know the truth about the deaths of your friends Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle, meet us in the Kalm Inn at 3 p.m. on 1st April, 0001. Do not speak of this matter to anyone and we'll ensure your safe return back to Shinra.

The Luge

She frowned. _AVALACHE is getting more audacious with their advances._ She thought to herself.

_Should I…_

She read the letter again. "Do not speak of this matter to anyone and we'll ensure your safe return…" She murmured.

_Oh Sunny… _She pouted at the letter._ You're always the clever one. What would you do if you were in my shoes?_

Pacing in the cubicle for another 5 more minutes, she felt that she had to do the right thing.

* * *

><p>Veld lifted the letter closer and inspected it. Meia stood at a distance, she was almost trembling at the silence that emanated from the leader of the Turks. Tseng stood closer to Veld's desk, his face emotionless at the events that has happened.<p>

Veld set the letter down and peered at Meia. "Have you been in any contact with AVALANCHE before?"

Meia shook her head. "No sir, I've not."

"Why is it then, that the letter could come into your hands without tripping the security system?" Veld rubbed his temples.

Meia stared at Veld. "Sir… you… you aren't suspecting me of being a spy, are you?" She asked.

Veld stared back at her briefly. "It is very possible."

"But if I were to be a spy, why would I bring this letter to you?" Meia retorted back.

"Meia!" Tseng's disapproving voice was heard, but she ignored it.

Veld was unfazed by the sudden change in Meia's tone. "If you weren't a spy, you would've informed us of the letter at the _very first opportunity_, instead of coming here to _ask for permission to meet them."_ Veld's voice was dangerous as he stood up and stared at the girl.

"I didn't ask for permission to meet them!" Meia was now feeling exasperated. "I wanted to ask for your advice to what to do!"

"Keep this rude attitude going and you'll know where you'll be heading." Veld's tone was final.

Meia glared at Veld. "I rather die than to be misunderstood!" She said. "I am loyal to the Turks, my lowly background has nothing to do with my character."

For a moment, she saw the cold, hard expression from Veld stumble a little at her words. Veld quickly recovered and paced around the room furiously. Tseng shook his head. Although Meia was generally a sweet-natured girl, if her feathers were ruffled she could be quite nasty. As a child she had already shown signs of such feistiness but no one felt that it was a problem. Recently, Meia has been becoming a little too quick-tempered, coupled by her childish behaviours. Tseng made a mental note to himself to train Meia's patience more. Meia's short temper wouldn't get her anywhere with Veld, nor anyone actually.

Finally, Veld spoke again. "Meia."

Meia looked up at her leader. Obviously she has been scolding herself for her insolence in her mind, because her eyes no longer showing the raw temper that she exhibited earlier on. "Yes, sir?" She said quietly.

"You are to meet AVALANCHE at 3 p.m. sharp on 1st April, in Kalm."

Meia's expression turned into surprise. "I… I didn't really think that you'll let me go." She murmured.

"I want you to see what they have to offer you, and report to me when you're back here. I'll send some Turks to cover you if necessary. If you haven't contacted us by 5 p.m., we'll send the Turks to Kalm."

Now realising that Veld trusted her intentions, Meia bowed low. "Thank you, Brother Veld, for believing in me." She said. "I'll not disappoint you."

"Make preparations, Meia." Veld continued, not acknowledging her gratitude at all. "It's a long walk Midgar to Kalm." He looked at her. "You aren't expecting us to provide transportation for this, are you?"

"No, sir." Meia shook her head. "I'll take my leave then and leave tomorrow morning."

When the door closed softly behind them, Tseng bowed to Veld. "I take my leave too."

"Tseng."

"Yes sir?" Tseng looked at him.

"Bring me the files of Joseph Etsky."

"You mean…"

Veld nodded.

"Yes sir. I'll bring them up in 15 minutes."

Tseng left the room. He knew of Joseph Etsky, but he didn't know why Veld wanted his files all of a sudden.

* * *

><p>1 April 0001<p>

It was 10 in the morning. Meia was dressed in shorts, a blue tank top and sneakers. She checked her bag one last time for her equipment, her Turk uniform and other provisions. She heard from Leia that it is almost a 4 hour walk to Kalm. There was no way she'll walk under the hot sun in her Turk uniform. She took a deep breath and headed out of her room.

"Meeting AVALANCHE, huh?" Haato greeted as she saw him along the corridor.

"Yeah." She grinned. She didn't understand why the management bothered to separate the Turks' residential rooms by gender, since they freely walk in between both levels.

"All the best, little girl." He ruffled her hair, a rare sign of affection from the katana user.

Meia beamed. "I'll do my best." She glanced around. "Where's Brother Reno and Brother Rude?" She asked.

Haato snorted. "They're called for work, early in the morning. Apparently some files from the Archives of the Science Department were lost during the mass desertion of SOLDIER. Both of them are finding the missing files and possible suspects as we speak now."

"Oh." Said Meia, bummed out by the fact that she couldn't say goodbye to them before she left. "Well, I'll be back by dinner, I guess."

"See ya." Meia nodded at Haato as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

><p>On Floor 45, Reno was complaining about the task.<p>

"We've been stuck in this stinkin' room for hours, yo. I wanna go beat up a flashy villain!"

Rude had been hearing his complaints for hours and gave him an annoyed look. "If you have time to complain, then work harder." He pointed flatly.

Reno made a noise of disgruntlement, but continued working hard at looking for the missing files nevertheless. Once forced to work, Reno proved to be hardworking and efficient. However, in the sea of both obselete and updated archives, even the capable duo was unable to find the discrepancy in the files.

* * *

><p>Cissnei yawned as she finished up her cup of coffee. She frowned at the cup. Coffee isn't exactly the best thing for a seventeen year-old girl but she has already gone down the coffee addiction path of no-return.<p>

She stood up from the table, gathered her weapon and her files and walked out of the cafeteria. As she did, she walked past a 2nd Class SOLDIER walking into the Turks cafeteria. He didn't notice her, but she immediately noticed his tall stature. _Well-built… _She thought with interest. _SOLDIERS do train their recruits well._ She shook her head in disappointment at the stark contrast with her male Turks. The doors closed behind her, but she remembered his dark hair styled in a youthful, spiked-up manner. _Such a shame I didn't see how he looked like…_

She suddenly caught herself still staring at the closed doors. _Checking someone out?_ She mused to herself. _I really must be growing up, or maybe Haato's words finally got to me. _She thought back to the Christmas Party, when she was telling Haato about what she looked for in a boyfriend.

Thinking back on the SOLDIER that she saw earlier on, Cissnei smiled. Was it a sneaky coincidence that the SOLDIER might have fulfilled almost all the qualities that she was looking for? "No more of this… frivolity." She told herself as she walked away.

Cissnei was back in her room, reading a light novel and relaxing on her bed. _No assignments today._ She sighed in contentment and snorted at the thought of Reno and Rude slogging their hearts away in the Archives Room at Floor 45.

Her peace was interrupted when her ears pricked at a sudden crash down below. Soon after the lights flickered from the usual white light to red ones. _Alarms._ She thought to herself. _What's happening?_

Trying hard to tune out the pressing beeps the alarms made, she walked out of her room door… to face many Red Saucers scuttling around the place. Their electric rods on the top of their bodies didn't look friendly at all.

_What's happening?_ Cissnei thought to herself as she flipped Rekka open.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile… things weren't looking too good on Floor 45.<p>

It was close to lunchtime when Reno closed his "n"th (A/N: Sorry, I had to include a mathematical reference here, kudos to those who see this "nth term" thing TOO many times in school! XDDDDD) file. He leant back against his chair and released a loud groan of frustration. "C'mon Rude, this is killing me, yo!" He turned to Rude, who has been almost silent the past few hours. "We're wasting our precious lives down here-we won't get this time back! This is why I wanna work as many flashy jobs as I can!"

Rude slowly looked up from the file that he just opened. "A job that isn't flashy is still our job." He said objectively.

"Hmm?" Reno frowned at Rude. Something felt different about Rude today. He was quiet, yes but then again he has always been so. Still, Reno couldn't point a finger to what the problem might be.

Rude spoke again. "I've felt, from the first time we met..." Whatever Rude really wanted to say, he decided against it. "...that I would never come to understand your fickle nature." He stood up from the unfinished file that he was tallying against and moved to a row of bookshelves on the opposite side of the room.

Reno decided against probing deeper. Unlike himself, Rude usually kept his inner thoughts and emotions to himself. _The sunglasses that he always wore didn't help with his self-expression either. _He thought to himself.

The alarms suddenly sounded, and both Turks almost jumped out of their skins in shock. Reno wondered aloud why the alarms have tripped. Before Rude could reply, two Red Saucers, little critters that provide basic security to the building, rushed in.

"Security robots?" Reno exclaimed.

Rude was surprised to see them too. "Why are they here?"

"Weren't they only activated when an intruder triggers the alarm?

"Does that mean…" Rude turned to Reno.

"There's an intruder in the midst." They concluded together.

Rude shook his head."The thief is back?" He hurriedly walked towards Reno.

Reno grinned as he whipped out his trusty EMR. "The thief would be stupid to come back isn't it… Heads up!" He cried as the Red Saucers turned towards them.

They both ducked and the lightning bolt made its target at the bookshelf behind the duo. The smell of burnt papers filled the room.

"Hoo boy…" Reno shook his head as he recovered from the attack. "Veld isn't going to be pleased to hear that we damaged the archives." He said casually.

* * *

><p>The elevator doors opened at Floor 2, Cissnei rushed out, Rekka ready in her hands. Without warning, she began slashing the Red Saucers. The Chain Machine was a little tricky to tackle, but nothing too hard for the seasoned fighter.<p>

"This level looks pretty cleared already…" She murmured to herself. "SOLDIERS have been activated?"

She walked towards the balcony overlooking the main lobby at Floor 1. To her surprise, she saw the same 2nd Class SOLDIER that she walked past earlier on in the morning. He was no longer wearing the purple 2nd Class SOLDIER uniform, but the black one.

"Promoted to 1st Class." She observed, folding her arms. "And this happens on your first day. What luck." She smiled.

The SOLDIER was facing a large group of enemies. Cissnei recognized them as the Shinra Sweepers and Genesis clones. After a two-hour long meeting of what Genesis clones were, it was hard not to recognize them. She stood at the balcony, watching how the SOLDIER moved. Shinra definitely found the right man for promotion. Not only did the SOLDIER fight efficiently, he did it fluidly, leaving no mess behind. Within minutes, the Sweepers and the Genesis clones fell onto the floor in a heap.

However, the enemies kept coming. Sweepers, Red Saucers, Genesis clones… It was endless. Cissnei had a small urge to help but she held back her intentions. Turks usually have no business with SOLDIER. Meia was probably the only exception in the Turk department who actually made _friends_ with them. So Cissnei continued standing at the balcony, watching the SOLDIER fight the endless horde of enemies.

The SOLDIER made the battle look effortless. _Like a robot that runs on endless supply of batteries._ She remarked to herself. As the last of the enemies fell onto the floor, utterly defeated, the SOLDIER swung his sword round and round before placing it on his back, as if it was some signature battle victory pose.

Cissnei was amazed at the abilities of that SOLDIER. "Who is he…" She wondered aloud.

"That is Zack Fair, just promoted to First Class SOLDIER." Cissnei jumped a little upon hearing the unexpected voice of Haato.

"Haato!" She exclaimed.

Haato peered over the parapet at what Cissnei was staring at. "That's the SOLDIER that Meia first trained with when she was being tested by Professor Timothy. A rather good SOLDIER, no?"

"Yes." Cissnei agreed. "Nothing less expected from Shinra's SOLDIER." She murmured as she watched Sephiroth, Shinra's famous First Class SOLDIER, approach the new First Class SOLDIER.

Haato turned back to the elevator. "Well now, we can discuss about your boy-watching some other time, when things aren't as chaotic as they are now."

Cissnei flushed at his words. "I assure you, Haato, I was doing my job and not being distracted at all." Despite his slightly erratic attitude between being serious and being flippant, Haato was still her senior in the Turks. Cissnei knew better than to let her superiors misunderstand her 'misconduct'.

The voice of the katana specialist now lost its lively note. "Like I said, another time. Veld needs you back in his office. He wants a full report on the situation below."

* * *

><p>Back on Floor 45, Reno and Rude successfully defeated most of the security robots that came their way, each getting harder to defeat than the previous.<p>

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose lightly. "Better get rid of them ASAP." He analysed.

Reno tapped his EMR on his shoulder, smirking. "I can get rid of them in 10 minutes!"

Reno rushed out of the Archives room with Rude following behind. He shook his head. "Speed is not important." He pointed out flatly.

"What do you mean by that huh? What's with you today? First you were all moody about my complaints…" He made a face. "And now you hurt my pride and my name of being "the fastest of the Turks"!"

"…"

Annoyed by his quiet response, Reno retorted, "Alright, fine... Why not let's have a little wager. I'll bet my Steal Materia I'm fast enough to take this critters out. Whaddya say?" Rude tugged his gloves, still not choosing to answer Reno. "Oooh, nothing to say now, eh?" He taunted the dark man. "Then I say you'll bet your Barrier Materia if you think I can't beat all these guys. What do you have to say to THAT now?"

With his gloves even more secure on his hands, Rude sighed. " ...This is my job, too. I can't afford to lose to you." He stared straight ahead at the Red Saucers. "Deal."

"Alright then!" Reno's face was full of glee. He faced the incoming Red Saucers with a passionate drive to destroy. "Bring it on, yo!"

* * *

><p>(AN: August)

(a/n edited to look less naggy. Full details in my blog, aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com!)

Yes, Kunsel has been pretty neglected. Managed to get him some airtime again!

'Before Crisis' and 'Crisis Core' do happen concurrently, despite many schools of thought saying they run one after another.

I couldn't find a good compromise between the translation and the extended summary, so I made do with what I had. Certain conversations are modified and removed to quicken the story pace. So whatever happens in Floor 45 is SLIGHTLY AU.

(A/N: Recent)

Orange: Sounds cool, do link me up when you do get your story published!

Thanks all for your reviews! I will not update till I get my chapter 2 of "Moves Like Jagger" out. A pretty good incentive to get me working on that story!

**Disclaimer: (Full disclaimer in my blog)**

**Summary of Before Crisis: Special Episode of Reno taken from Lifestream(dot)net and kawree from LJ! Crisis Core scenes taken from the sorumian's walkthrough.**

**Please ensure that if you want to use the translations of the special episode of Reno from kawree, please contact her for permission!**


	27. Toad

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 27 – Toad**

Kalm is situated not too far away from Midgar, however, on foot it took a few hours before she finally saw the small town hidden behind a cliff (A/N: I know, Cloud took like 3 seconds to get there on FF7, annoying right? XD). Luckily, there weren't many monsters around due to the sweltering heat so Meia was spared from endless battles. She stood a small distance from the town, looking at the sea ahead of Kalm.

"It's…" She trailed off and decided to admire the beautiful expanse instead of finding words to describe it. Meia has never seen the sea before, although she saw pictures of it. She sighed with content. "It's muuuuuch better than the pictures." She smiled.

Meia stepped onto the cobblestone path of the town. "So… this is Kalm, huh?" She murmured to herself. She checked her PHS for the time, for it was not her habit to wear a watch. It was half an hour to 2, plenty of time for her to scout around and change into her Turk uniform before her meeting with The Luge… AVALANCHE.

She walked around the town, allowing her eyes and her brain work together to form the perfect map of Kalm. It was almost late afternoon, and most citizens in Kalm chose to spend their afternoon indoors. However, she was approached a few times by friendly people asking if she needed help or if she wanted a tour. Meia smiled to herself. She always believed that dressing in casual clothes bring friendlier responses than the Turk uniform. Nevertheless, it was orders that Turks should wear their uniform at all times… a rule that she didn't obey sometimes.

The inn was just next to her, right beside the entrance. Meia found herself shuddering at the thought of how the group of AVALANCHE would look like. She hastily walked away from the inn. She's not ready… not yet anyway.

A bar came into view… well, technically it was under a tunnel (according to citizens of Kalm) so it's not hard to miss. She entered the bar through the tunnel and looked around. It was a dingy, small pub with lights throwing a yellowish cast over the place.

"Yo, missus, what can I get ya?"

"Orange juice, please." She said, choosing a seat in the corner to sit down.

The bartender snorted at her reply. "Sorry, missus but… I'm pretty sure my place is a pub."

Meia coloured at his words. "I erm… I don't drink!" She replied quickly.

"Oh, such a shame." The bartender turned back to his drinks. "Sometimes a good beer is what one needs after a day's work… not that you're from around here." He peered at her. "Where ya from?"

"Erm… Midgar." She said truthfully. The expression of the bartender briefly faltered, so Meia quickly responded. "Kalm seems like a nice place for a day-off, so here I am."

The cheerful expression quickly returned. "Hmph. For a while there I thought you were one of those Shinra lapdogs."

Meia's heart pounded a little quicker. She bit back her tongue from asking stupid questions that might reveal her identity. "Yeah," She replied. "Can't do anything much without them snooping around here and there."

"Tell me about it!" With that 'open door', the bartender began to rant his frustrations. Meia smiled as he passed the glass of orange juice to her, internally heaving a sigh of relief. She was not going to get into unnecessary trouble. AVALANCHE was after all, her main reason here.

* * *

><p>(Back at Shinra HQ, Floor 45)<p>

Reno's face broke into a sly grin. "Looks like I defeated the most number of Red Saucers. This match is my victory! So I guess… That materia of yours is no longer yours?"

"…"

The green orb was unequipped from Rude's wristband and he tossed it to Reno. "Whoa!" Reno exclaimed, catching it nicely. "If it broke it would've been a shame. It's a mastered Barrier Materia after all…" Reno's sharp ears caught his partner cursing under his breath and chuckled "Don't be too sore about it. Of course I won..." The duo walked around Floor 45 inspecting for straggling machines. "Speed is imperative to this sort of job."

Before Rude could retort, Reno's PHS rang. Flipping it open, Reno spoke into the phone. "Sup? It's Reno."

Veld's voice was heard over the phone. "Reno? Did you encounter any Shinra machines? Are the both of you all right?"

"Yeah." Reno allowed a little cockiness show in his tone. "We totally kicked those mechs' asses, yo."

"I have some news for you." Veld's serious tone always could make even the aloof and carefree Reno a little less flippant. Reno switched on the speaker function on the PHS so that Rude could hear Veld as well. "There is a sudden abnormal behavior of the security robots occurred simultaneously over the whole building."

Reno yawned. "Tell me something I don't know." He said. "Let us go and beat some machines and take care of it!"

"The 1st Class SOLDIERs are dealing with the disturbance so there should be no issues. A new First Class SOLDIER named Zack Fair."

"Oh… the slick." Reno commented.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about, boss." Reno shrugged. "What's the source to this mess?"

"We're still figuring it out. We have yet to identify the perpetrator."

"So… No fight?"

"No… no fight. We leave the suppression of the attack to the SOLDIERs." Veld said slowly and gently, as if trying to coo a whiny baby.

Reno was indeed behaving like one. He made a face at Rude. "The SOLDIERs get all the cool jobs." He complained, though he lowered his volume so that Veld couldn't hear him.

"It seems like the entire security system has been hacked and toyed with." Veld said. While Reno whistled slowly, Rude asked if there might be a connection to the attack. "We'll have to investigate; this is our specialty as Turks." Veld replied.

"All right, right away, we're on it..." Reno said, shrugging.

Despite the pressing situation, their leader's voice sounded amused. "Actually, we've entrusted that assignment to Cissnei."

"What?" Reno exclaimed. "To Cissnei? Then what the hell are **we** here for?"

"You two are to continue trying to determine what documentation is missing." Rude mused to himself that for once, Reno was silent in response. "In this situation, your cooperation here is imperative. We're counting on you."

"Yes sir." Answered Rude.

"… Understood." The PHS snapped shut violently, ending the call. "Damn it!" Reno exclaimed, kicking a piece of rubble nearby with fury. "Back to the staring contest with the paperwork, huh?" Rude returned to the Archives Room and Reno followed behind. "Can't be helped, I guess... the SOLDIERs were made for stuff like suppressing raids. We don't get to do anything cool..."

Rude turned back slightly to regard Reno's comments. "Indeed; it seems like all the good jobs are taken..." He trailed off and said nothing more.

Reno shook his head at the pile of files when his sharp ears picked up a noise. "What was that?" He hissed. He walked out of the Archives Room and peered down the hallway. "Someone is here…?"

"That's impossible." Rude confirmed.

Reno nodded. "We've sealed this floor off... I bet it's the document thief!"

"Whatever it is…" Rude drew himself to full height and adjusted his sunglasses. "Time to investigate. Prepare for surprises."

"Investigate? Surprises? They all just mean "flashy jobs" to me." Reno grinned widely, his EMR ready for action.

* * *

><p>Her heart was beating against her chest with an endless, almost audible rhythm. Meia walked into the inn and towards the receptionist. She stared at the old man, mind blank. <em>Great. I don't know how to even…<em>

"Would you like to stay for the night, young lady?" The old man smiled.

"No, erm… I'm looking for a group named 'The Luge'. They've sent an invitation asking me to join their study-group on the Planet."

"Oh oh oh! You must be Meia!" The old man nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, here is the key to the last room on the corridor. It's the blue one. I believe the rest will arrive shortly." Meia gave a nervous laugh as she received the bunch of keys from the owner. With thanks, she ascended the stairs.

Meia thought of calling Tseng, but decided against it. Right before she entered the room, as she was jiggling the keys to find the elusive blue key, her sharp eyes found the tiniest wireless microphone attached to one of the keys. It was strategically placed in the groove of the key such that it could go unnoticed unless under scrutiny.

_Sneaky people. _She thought with horror, thankful that she didn't report to Tseng._ Even the inn owner is one of them. This changes things... Significantly._

Adjusting her tie, she gulped. _Once again, Mr. Valentine. _She said to her faceless Turk idol. _Please protect me._ She knocked the door gently and felt stupid for doing so. _I have the keys. Obviously no one is inside. _She shook her head to herself and unlocked the door with the blue key.

"Hello?" She asked hesitatingly. The room was dark inside, but as she just inched the door open, she heard a croak. She froze but the toad saw her.

_It's 'Touch Me'!_ (A/N: What kind of monster name is that?) She realized in horror but it was too late. The frog-like monster began singing its frog song. Slowly, Meia felt her body weaken and shrink. She screamed but it did nothing to help her. She looked at her hands, where the web between her fingers lengthened and her hands eventually became webbed ones.

The lights were switched on and as she looked up around her, she saw a group of people wearing ear muffs. _Damn._ She thought. _That's downright disgusting. Of all things you use to capture me, you had to cast 'Toad' on me._

The burning sensation stopped and she could hear properly her surroundings again. She tried to protest but the only noises she could make were croaks.

"Place her in the tank." A cool, female voice spoke. Meia felt hands picking her up and placing her in the tank on the long table. She hopped clumsily towards the water, allowing the water to soothe her dry amphibian skin.

Meia blinked and took the time to look around her surroundings. The room was not very big. Somehow the organization managed to remove the amenities that a room in an inn should have. There was no sign of a bed, just tables and chairs. The tank that she was in was placed on the table. In a distance, Meia's frog eyes only allowed her to make out a few figures sitting and standing in the room.

There were a few windows and doors. With some simple calculations and visualizing, Meia concluded that the window that is facing the entire Kalm town is the window on the right of the room. As things stood, that window could be her only chance of escape.

"Hello." The female voice said again.

Meia looked up and saw the only female in the room, a teenage girl who looked like she's about Reno's age. She was dressed in a very practical manner. Green suit, cape… Tribal patterned waist-belt… The woman had short brown hair, styled in a rather masculine yet feminine manner. Her face was calm and composed, her brown eyes were soft and gentle, but Meia saw steel determination behind those eyes... Uncannily familiar...

"Can you hear me?" The woman asked.

_Yes, I can. _She thought to herself._ Not that you can read my thoughts._

Apparently, she expected that, because she said, "Blink 3 times if it's a 'yes'."

Meia blinked three times. A tall man wearing a camouflage-green bandanna, standing near the tank, informed the girl that the 'frog' blinked three times. Meia tried not to look offended at the way he addressed her as a frog.

"Is your name Meia?" She asked. Meia blinked three times. "Looks like it's the right person, then. My name is Elfe, I'm the commander of the group AVALANCHE. This is Shears." she gestured to the man near the tank where Meia was sittting in. "This man is Fuhito." She gestured to a tall, bespectacled man standing just behind her. He looked like an educated man, but there was something oddly unsettling about him. Meia felt shivers down her slimy skin.

_This is the AVALANCHE that I've been hearing about for months now._ Meia thought._ So… So human looking. Yet… they give me the chills…_

"Sorry, Meia." The girl spoke quietly. "We have to cast 'Toad' on you so you won't attack us, and also that you'll be able to hear what we have to say." Meia shrugged. Not that she could blame them. She must admit… casting "Toad" was a pretty effective trick. She could use that to her advantage next time… If she could find a 'Touch Me'.

"We better hurry up… Who knows what these Shinra dogs have up their sleeve?" Shears muttered.

Elfe nodded. She looked at Meia again. "You won't be able to talk for the next few minutes, which is what we want – some time for you to hear us out."

"Nothing in the bag, Elfe." One of the AVALANCHE operatives reported.

"Nothing on her phone either."

She glared her frog-like eyes at the two men, holding onto her backpack and PHS respectively. _How dare they rummage through my bag!_ She thought indignantly.

Fuhito cleared his throat, gaining Meia's attention. "You are taken captive by us, girl." He said. "Searching through your belongings is a natural thing to do. Nevertheless, we beg your pardon for doing so."

_Taken captive!_ She realized in horror.

"Please don't scare her, Fuhito." Elfe commanded. She looked at the frog who was now Meia. "I shall not beat around the bush. I would like to extend a hand of invitation for you to join AVALANCHE."

_What?_

"Out of the entire Shinra company, you seem to be the only one who has a conscience over good and evil. We've been watching you… even before you became a Turk."

Meia froze in her place and now listened fully to what Elfe had to say. _AVALANCHE has been watching me?_

Elfe was still speaking. "Fuhito here knows of you and your past."

Fuhito bowed. "I was a good friend of your father… and I am truly sad to this day to hear his death."

_Father…_

The word sounded foreign to her ears. For 13 years Meia tried to remember all she could about her father and mother in vain. Her biological family sometimes felt more like a dream than a past. Now that someone claimed that… her father is real.

"Meia, we believe that you are truly good in your heart. We want you to come to the truth that the company you're working for is not good." Elfe held a hand over her chest and spoke with sincerity.

Shears, the man closest to the tank where Meia was, leant over the tank and asked. "Hey girl, do you know what is the energy source of the Planet?" Meia could only blink three times at him, but he answered his own question anyway. "The Lifestream, refined as we know as Mako. Shinra is now using Mako energy for electricity, but the Planet is dying as we speak."

Meia blinked at Shears, not fully understanding what he meant.

"If we don't stop Shinra now, the Planet will cease to exist. All life will not be sustained on Gaia." Elfe rejoined. "Meia… we simply come to ask Shinra to stop hurting the Planet so, but our words fell on deaf ears. We have no choice but to resort to force."

Meia trembled at Elfe's words, though she hardly raised her voice. She thought back about what Rod said.

_Even that Sephiroth guy had problems taking her down. Don't underestimate their leader, Elfe..._

"Meia, I believe you are a good person. The way Shinra is destroying the Planet… unforgivable. I want you to join us… you know deep inside that there are many things that you cannot simply agree with Shinra."

_Shelke… _Meia said in her mind, feeling agony in her heart at the truth in Elfe's words. _What did Shinra do to cover your existence? _

"I'll give you some time to consider what we've just offered you." Elfe concluded.

Fuhito spoke quietly. "We're going to put you in the adjacent room connected to this one. We'll administer the antidote, Maiden's Kiss, so that you''ll transform back." He walked over to the door, but hesitated when he placed a hand on the doorknob. "Please take this time to consider what we've said. You may ask us any questions, though it's our prerogative to answer."

Suddenly, Meia felt Shear's presence looming over her and his hands picked her up again. Her skin was sensitive to every bumpy walk his boots made and Meia felt sick with every impact.

Through the open door, Meia hopped off Shear's hands, feeling the exhilarating freefall from his hands to the floor. She landed onto the floor lightly, her frog-legs springing to reduce the impact.

"You seem like you enjoy being a frog, no?" Shears commented casually. Meia stared at him, choosing not to respond. "Okay, fine! I get your point. Geez." He shrugged as he removed the stopper from a green, curvy bottle. "Heads up!"

The potion spilled across her back and onto the wooden floor. She flicked her head and rubbed her webbed feet on the pool of Maiden's Kiss. Shears closed the door behind him. Meia felt the burning sensation again. This time, her skin itched and burned so badly as if it threatened to break out of itself. She groaned and curled up on the floor, feeling her toes and fingers enlarge and finally, when the sensation was over, she felt her clothes sticky against her skin.

_How do the clothes even morph into frog-skin?_ She picked at her uniform and pondered. Yet another of those mysteries of magic that she'll never understand.

_Not that it's important now. The bigger issue is out there._ Meia slumped her back against the wall. _What now?_ She thought to herself.

* * *

><p>Reno and Rude ran out of the Shinra HQ's. Reno looked up at the sky, it was close to evening. For a moment, he wondered to himself if Meia was alright, but quickly shook the thought away as Rude called out to him, "Hurry, Cissnei needs help to stop the attack on Sector 8."<p>

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it…" Reno mumbled. "Cut me some slack, yo? I just suffered TWO near death incidents at that elevator back there!" He shook his head. "Told ya elevators aren't good stuff."

"You wanted a flashy job." Rude bluntly pointed.

Reno made a face. "Touche." He replied.

Reno's PHS rang again. "Yo, s'up?" He said as he pressed the receiver against his ear.

Veld's voice was on the other end. "Good that you escaped from the faulty elevator."

The redhead shuddered as he thought back about the ascending elevator that would've almost crushed him if he hadn't entered the two security codes correctly. "Yeah… I'm good. What now, boss?"

"SOLDIERS were dispatched to help the situation, but with the mass desertion I believe they are struggling. Reno, Rude, help Cissnei and the SOLDIERS."

"Understood." Reno flipped the PHS shut. "Let's split up. Dibs on north side of Sector 8."

Rude nodded. "I'll take the west."

* * *

><p>Reno, fast as his title claims, not only cleared the north, but the south and the east as well. "Where are all the SOLDIERS?" He shook his head at the unattended mess. He flipped open his PHS and dialed Cissnei. As she picked up he asked, "How's things going?"<p>

"I'm at the fountain, things are-" Cissnei's line was cut off.

"Cissnei? Cissnei?" He called, but there was no answer. "Damn it." He muttered as he called Rude. "Yo Rude, you alright over there?"

Rude's voice was calm and composed. "I'll call you back, I'm in a tight spot." With that, he hung up as well.

"Oh man…" Reno groaned. "Who to help now? I want to help both of them… Argh! Decisions, decisions!" He groaned. "Cissnei seems like she's in trouble and I shouldn't damage Rude's pride by helping him… Okay, I will help Cissnei. Rude will be fine on his own, he has the mastered Barrier Materia in his hands…" He trailed off as he stared at the said Materia, now in his own handgun.

* * *

><p>Cissnei swiftly dealt with the robots. She picked up her PHS and flicked the dust off it. "Stupid Sweeper swiped the PHS off my hands," She muttered as she typed a message for Reno. "Things are going smooth and safe here. Not to worry." She pressed the 'Send' Button and flipped the PHS shut. She looked around the fountain. Things seem to be quite safe for now.<p>

_Time to check out LOVELESS Avenue. _She decided, walking towards the tunnel leading to the entertainment corner of Sector 8. _What's with people and their obsession with CAPS? SOLDIER, AVALANCHE, LOVELESS…_

Her thoughts were interrupted when two Genesis' copies attacked her from behind. She swiftly rolled forward before their sabers could touch her. "Argh… you again." She frowned. She ran around them, Rekka ready in her hands. She slashed the Genesis copy nearest to her. The blade sliced the arm of the enemy but it looked as if it was not in pain. "Goodness… what do they feed you?" Cissnei cursed.

* * *

><p>Reno and Rude ran towards the fountain. "Tseng!" They called out.<p>

"Status report..." Tseng said to them but he trailed off as they all turned to the corner of the plaza. Cissnei was being cornered by two Genesis clones.

"Hold on, I'm a-comin'!" They heard someone behind them say. It was the SOLDIER Zack Fair, reaching behind for his SOLDIER sword.

Reno frowned and extended his EMR… at the SOLDIER. Zack stopped abruptly and stared at the one stopping him. Reno walked with the slow drag of his, now tapping the EMR on his shoulder as usual.

"Sector 8 is Turks' jurisdiction, slick." Reno pointed the EMR at Zack, still frowning.

Rude walked behind Zack and pushed his sunglasses against his nose. That action alone usually made itself clear of what Rude was thinking.

As Tseng walked towards the three of them, Zack turned to Tseng, his face full of disbelief that the Turks would abandon a helpless woman. "You've got to be kidding me! Tseng, do something!"

"There's no need for concern." Reno heard Tseng reply in a composed manner.

"Huh?" As Zack turned around, he saw Cissnei brushing the dust of her uniform and checking her shruiken. "O-kay…" He said lamely.

Reno snorted inside. _The Turks aren't that bad, you arrogant… thing._

"The other areas?" Tseng turned to Reno and asked.

Reno shrugged and gestured. "Midgar's just crawling with nasties."

Rude turned his head back, pointedly looking at Zack. "SOLDIER is having difficulties." He said simply.

"Reno, Rude." Tseng said.

"Just say the word." Reno rolled his eyes. _We always do the boring jobs._ He thought gloomily.

"Go."

"Yes sir." Rude nodded at Tseng. Turning towards the staircase, Reno and Rude left. As they reached the top of the stairs, Rude called Reno.

"What's up?" Reno turned to look at him.

Rude stepped onto the last step of the stairs. "You… you weren't stopping Zack because of Meia?"

Reno scoffed. "What are you talking about, yo? Of course not!" Reno shook his head and shrugged. "Definitely not because she has been talking about him as if she idolizes him!"

His partner nodded. "And most definitely because you're not jealous of him."

"Nope, not at all. Sector 8 is Turks' jurisdiction, I'm not going to give SOLDIER the credit for the work we've done." Reno shrugged.

Rude shook his head at Reno. _How could anyone be as simple-minded as he is? _The way Meia occupied Reno's thoughts… not like a man obsessed with his lover, but then again, Rude has never seen Reno behave like this with any woman or girl. _Things will become more obvious as time passes. _Rude decided to himself.

He cleared his throat. "I'll take the back. You clear out the station."

"See ya, partner." Reno grinned, giving a mock salute before running straight ahead.

* * *

><p>Yes, I did use TifaRokkuhaato's suggestion and mentioned Reno's dislike towards elevators. Also, I think you guys are glad to see some familiar scenes again. It's been a while since I wrote Crisis Core scenes, huh? You'll see more for the next few chapters, so enjoy!<p>

Thank you for your time. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: Dialogue for "Special Episode of Reno" taken from kawree of LiveJournal.


	28. Decision

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 28 – Decision **

_I need to do something… at least. _Meia leant her head against the cool wooden door, but her heart was thumping at the discovery she made.

_Mr. Fuhito… knows my father?_

Fuhito's voice made her gasp in surprise of the fact that she voiced her last thought aloud. "I was the last person that your father saw before he died."

Meia released the breath that she didn't know she held. "Wh… What happened?"

"Murdered by his enemies." Fuhito replied simply.

Her heart ached at the news of the father she never remembered. _So many things I want to ask… _She bit her lip thoughtfully._ However, finding out about my father is not priority. Who knows how much time I have left before I need to reply AVALANCHE's offer? _

"Then why…" Meia swallowed her saliva as a small attempt to boost her confidence. "Why didn't you find me immediately when you knew that my father was dead and I was alone?" Her head was getting clammy from leaning against the door, but Meia paid no notice to that.

"As a child you will be safer if you were not with us." Fuhito replied calmly.

_So… he's the calm and emotionless type, huh… _Meia tried to assess Fuhito's nature, but he was like a clammed oyster of mystery. The mild-looking man looks like he is more than what he seems and it disturbed Meia to think about it. Still…

_If there is some truth to what he says…_

"Meia…" Fuhito said to her behind the door. "You were never meant to be a Turk. You don't need to admit it, but you have your own suspicions on the questionable things that Shinra did. Like how your friends died."

_Like how Shelke disappeared from the face of earth…_

Placing her hands on the wooden door now, she sighed and felt disoriented about the confusion brewing in her brain. "Mr. Fuhito, do you know who killed my friends?" She asked, her voice trembling. _What if… What if Shinra was the one…_

His answer was crisp and clear like a bell. "You know the answer deep inside."

Her heart sank. Meia felt her knees give way and she fell onto the floor. "… Who is it?" She asked again. She knew that Fuhito was implying that Shinra killed Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan but… she just had to be _sure_.

This time, Elfe responded. "Fuhito will not answer your questions further. Consider what we've told you and what you've seen for yourself. We're expecting an answer to your involvement… in 10 minutes."

"What? 10 minutes to decide my life?" She yelled at the door, but there was no answer.

_Oh great. _Meia stood up and sat on the bed instead. She absent-mindedly retied her pigtails, for her mind was preoccupied on bigger issues.

_If Shinra killed Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan, I can't forgive them. _Meia frowned._ Plus… Mr. Fuhito was a friend of father. Judging by the fact that Mr. Fuhito was the last person my father saw… they must be good friends._

With her pigtails tied properly again, she hugged her knees and began thinking. _If I leave Shinra… the Turks will be fine without me. They have 10 outstanding Turks who won't hesitate to obey Shinra's orders. I have been on a one-year probation, I'm not a good combat fighter, I can't separate my emotions from my work, I'm still too young… They can do without me. In AVALANCHE, I can learn from scratch again. I have someone who knows of my past to guide me… I can protect the Planet, something that I could never do as a Turk._

_I suppose… it's best that I… I give a call back to Tseng to tell him that I'm leaving._

She uncrossed her legs and stood from the bed. Meia walked to her PHS and flipped it open, ready to punch the numbers to Tseng's extension line. The wallpaper of the PHS greeted her and she smiled at the picture. It was a group picture, taken at her last birthday. The Turks hardly indulge in frivolous celebrations such as birthdays, nevertheless every year someone would mysteriously write all the birthdays on the new calendar in the pantry. The Turks celebrate only when they're free… and Meia was lucky that they managed to celebrate her birthday last year… it was mere days before the Banora incident. Meia was in the centre of the picture, everyone in the picture was giving victory signs and grinning at the camera. Reno had his arm slung around her.

_I'll… I'll miss you guys. Although I'm not the best Turk you have, although we came from different backgrounds, although we are so vastly different in everything and anything… you were like my family._

… _I need you more than you need me._

The last words struck her mind again. _What… What am I saying? _She thought to herself. Looking at the picture, Meia knew exactly what she was saying. In the picture, Meia was grinning. A little uncomfortable at Reno's tight grip over her neck, but indeed Meia was smiling with happiness at the people around her.

… _How could I leave them?_

Despite the many times she scanned the picture, her eyes always wandered to the one person in the picture who stole all her attention.

"Brother Reno…" She uttered softly.

* * *

><p>The wooden door opened, revealing Meia with her backpack over her shoulders. "Hello." She greeted politely.<p>

Elfe nodded and motioned her to sit down, which Meia did, taking a chair closest to the right window. "Meia… May I hope for a good answer from you?" She asked.

Meia looked at AVALANCHE. "I would love to work in AVALANCHE." She could audibly hear someone give a sigh of relief from the back of the room. The leader of the terrorist group gave a faint smile but Meia was not done. "However… I cannot."

"Why is that?" Elfe asked, her voice was gentle but tense.

"I uh… I can't."

"If this is about leaving Shinra, have no worries, we'll-"

"It's not about Shinra. It's not about AVALANCHE." Meia stood up hurriedly. The AVALANCHE members moved forward as if to grab her, but Elfe held up a hand to stop them. "Sorry Elfe, it's just that… I've fallen for the company I work for."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shears demanded. "You _love_ Shinra? Don't you care for the lives of those whom Shinra had taken away, you sick moron?"

Meia turned to Shears. "I do care!" She gripped the hem of her blazer tightly. "I know I do… but I guess I must betray even my own heart. Because…" She looked at them with determination. "I love Shinra. Even if it's true that they've killed my friends… I'll… I'll forgive them." She picked up her backpack. "I'm sorry, but this is my answer."

Shears cursed. "You're playing with us?" He ordered. "Capture her!"

_Oh man._ She made a small run towards the window. With held breath, Meia rammed against the glass window, framed by old, brittle wood. _Please break! _She begged desperately. _Imagine the awkward moment if it doesn't break._

Meia has never thanked divine powers more than she ever did when the window easily gave way to her weight. Her shoulder burned with the impact from her momentum. Her head, knocking against the wooden frame, felt resistance… and then suddenly she was airborne.

_Success! _She thought, elated.

"Seize her!" Fuhito shouted where the window was.

"Not a chance!" She grinned. "Aero!" She yelled for strength and the strong gust of wind carried her. Meia laughed, her very initial idea of 'flying' was really becoming a true reality. Suddenly a whirl of grey and green rushed out and kicked itself out of the windowsill, jumping toward Meia. Meia choked in surprise at the sudden speed and dexterity of the figure, but the voice was the one demanding her fear.

"I'm not letting you get away." Elfe's voice was cold and unfeeling.

_How did she manage to jump so far out?_ Meia gaped in shock, but she recovered in time. Placing a hand in front of Elfe, she shouted, "Fire!"

The inferno that blazed in front of Elfe startled her, and in her moment of misbalance, the AVALANCHE leader fell lightly onto the ground.

_She doesn't look the least bit harmed by my fire and the fall! Just how strong is she?_

"Whoa!" Meia yelled as the wind tossed her violently. "Not the best way to fly still!" The uncontrollable wind was far too strong, though it still carried her out of Kalm. The lush green grass quickly changed into sandy terrain. "Not good!" She said to herself, wondering how she'll fare in her landing. By the time the wind slowly dissipated, she was already beyond the cliff where Kalm was situated. The wind ceased, and Meia had to call Aero one more time to buffer her descent. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the landing. She landed roughly, tumbling as she fell.

_This is definitely worse than cushioned floors. _She mused to herself, wishing that she was back in her training room. She was glad that her forward roll helped reduce the impact of her fall, but her back hurt more than usual. She panted and felt like lying flat on the sandy ground to rest, but pushed herself to stand up and walk in the direction of Midgar. _I need to hurry, before AVALANCHE closes in on me!_

_Beep Beep!_

Meia looked up and saw the Shinra truck, honking in a distance. She sighed in relief, seeing the familiar faces behind the windscreen. The truck stopped and both Mason and Leia alighted the vehicle. Waving at them, she picked up her bag and walked towards the truck.

"Did… Did you just fly over the cliff?" Mason gaped at her. "Had to escape?"

Meia grinned. "I won't say it's flying. Just… creating wind strong enough to throw me out of Kalm. It was the first time that I tried it."

"Damn lucky to be alive, kid." Mason narrowed his eyes at her.

Meia peered around the Mason and looked at the truck. "I need a lift back to Midgar. Do you have an Ether which I could use?" She grinned sheepishly. "Really tired now."

Mason reached into his pocket for a small vial of orange solution and tossed it at Meia. He cocked his head at the truck. "Hop on, before AVALANCHE spots us."

"Good to see you safe." Leia's professional voice still showed a sign of genuine concern. "Let's go before we waste more time."

Meia grinned again as she hopped onto the back of the truck. Leia was still the same as before, from the very first day she met her. "It's good to be back." She said, looking at the wallpaper of her PHS with relish.

* * *

><p>The Hi-Potion did wonders for Cissnei's grazed arm. <em>Hope it doesn't get infected.<em> She thought to herself, while watching Zack Fair fight a Genesis clone. She couldn't help but be amazed at his abilities. The clone, G Eraser, is a rather formidable opponent, but the SOLDIER didn't face much difficulty defeating him.

She stood up slowly, feeling in her body any other areas that might be injured. Luckily, only her arm was badly grazed by the bullet from the Genesis clone. She picked up Rekka, now stuck onto the pavement and walked towards the SOLDIER. The Genesis clone was near death. It (_or he?_) tried to escape with its one wing, but Zack didn't take any chances. With a mighty swing, he knocked the enemy out.

The clone lay dead on the floor, his ebony wing spread out. Feathers flew and drifted aimlessly in the air. Cissnei walked through the mass of feathers, her eyes never leaving the ebony piece of anatomy that she has always yearned to have.

"When I was a kid, I've always wanted to have wings. You know… like an angel."

Cissnei stood up and wondered to herself why she had the urge to share something so personal to a complete stranger.

_This is not like me at all… _She thought._ But Zack Fair makes me feel… makes me feel like I can trust him with my darkest secrets. Not professional at all. _As Zack turned around, she sighed. _He must be thinking that I'm an idiot. What am I doing, talking childish things like that to a 1__st__ Class SOLDIER?_

To her surprise, he replied. "If people had wings…" His voice was almost… sorrowful? "They'd be monsters."

Cissnei stared at the back of the SOLDIER in surprise. _What did he see and experience to let that sorrow show in the sentence? … Why am I so concerned about that?_

"Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none. They don't symbolize monsters." She shook her head vigorously, feeling her curls hit her face. She fell silent, wondering how much her peculiar words has devalued herself as a Turk now.

To her surprise, the SOLDIER gave a small laugh. He turned around and gave her a smile. She hastily looked down at the clone, so that he won't catch her staring at his cerulean blue eyes. The lifeless clone did nothing to calm her down. "I'm… I'm sorry if I sound weird." She said with an embarrassed air.

"No… not at all." Zack smiled. "I… I like your child-like belief."

Cissnei flushed. "Yes, they are immature but-"

"No, you've mistaken me!" Zack laughed. "I meant child-like, not childish!" The redhead stared at him, puzzled. "Don't worry about it, Cissnei. You're fine." He folded his arms briefly, but unfolded them and complimented, "You did a great job anyway."

The Turk gave a lopsided smile. "I wouldn't have been able to defeat the clone if not for your help. SOLDIER 1st Class, indeed. A very impressive show of force."

Zack shrugged. "Unlike the Turks, we folks at SOLDIER are paid to fight."

Cissnei felt in her pocket for a slip of paper. "Take this. A token of appreciation for helping me out back there." She handed the slip of paper to Zack.

"Research Department… QMC?"

"Yes, it's their number for orders. They sell some decent stuff… exclusive to some people." She smiled. "Well, I'm off to my next job. Didn't you have another assignment, too?"

"Assignment? Yeah… I do…"

"I'm sure we'll see each other again." Resisting the urge to wink at him this time, she turned and ran off.

As she exited LOVELESS Avenue, her PHS rang. "Yes sir." She greeted Veld on the other side of the call.

"Are you alright?" Veld asked. "Was that really Genesis?"

Cissnei apologized. "I'm sorry for the false report, that was not Genesis, but a clone. He was a very advanced and well developed clone, I mistook him as the real Genesis." She felt herself blush at her own failure. "Erm… 1st Class SOLDIER Zack Fair helped me handle the situation."

"That's fine." Veld, who don't take failures well, did not sound displeased. "What's the situation like over there?"

"The Sector 8 square is safe now. I found a SOLDIER right before you called, who reports that the real Genesis is somewhere in the city. I believe Sephiroth and Zack will be activated to stop him."

"I understand." Veld said. "Good job, Cissnei. Now, about the meeting with Director Lazard just now…"

Cissnei smiled, thinking back on the meeting she was called to after she saw Zack Fair take down the Shinra security robots. Veld indeed asked for a full report on the situation, but Director Lazard, one of the main executives overseeing SOLDIER, was present as well. He seemed to have taken a liking to Cissnei's professionalism and he asked her if she could help him with a top-secret mission: Monitoring new 1st Class SOLDIER Zack Fair.

Veld was still waiting for her answer. "Yes, sir." Cissnei replied on the phone. "I'm willing to take up the mission to monitor him."

"Thank you, Cissnei." Veld replied. "I believe that you'll do a good job and be a good testimony of the Turks' capabilities."

"Thank you, sir."

"SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair has gone to Mako Reactor 5 with SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth. Go there quietly and report back what you see."

"I'm on my way."

Cissnei flipped the phone shut and walked towards Sector 5's Mako Reactor… wondering what else the interesting SOLDIER has in store for her.

* * *

><p>It was not yet nightfall when Meia reached Midgar. However, Meia always marveled at the phenomenon ahead of her.<p>

"Why is it that night always falls faster in Midgar?" She opened the window to the truck and asked Mason and Leia

"What do you mean, little one?" Mason asked. His eyes were focused on the road ahead of him, so he seemed to speak louder to compensate that.

"In Kalm, everything is so nice and bright. But even in a distance…" Meia stared at the mechanical city and the sky above. "In the distance, Midgar looks dark and gloomy."

Mason smiled. "Perhaps… it's reflective of the things that Shinra has done."

"I suggest you keep that thought to yourself, Mason." Leia warned him.

"I know, Miss Professional." Leia glared at the nickname but he ignored her gaze. Mason let out a sigh. "Perhaps it's not my calling to be a Turk." He drummed the steering wheel and whistled a random tune.

Meia shifted her weight into a more comfortable position for talking. "Brother Mason used to be a detective, no?"

Mason snorted. "Yeah, but my boss decided that I was too passionate for the job. I admit, I can't differentiate my feelings from my work. I joined the Turks because I was left with no other choice. Then again, most of us joined the Turks because of that. Haato, for example."

"I joined the Turks because of the pay." Replied Leia simply. Meia giggled at her comment.

Sighing again, Mason said. "I'm serious about the Turks not being my calling. Perhaps I'll sign up a contract to Shinra and see if I can leave."

Meia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "We can leave?"

Leia shook her head. "It's a tricky situation if you want to leave. You retire into seclusion. Even so, you need to be brainwashed by Professor Hojo so that all your memories of your career as a Turk are removed."

"Professor Hojo?" Meia asked.

"What? You don't know Hojo?" Mason exclaimed. Meia shook her head and replied that she tried to keep a low profile in Shinra. "It's good that you do. Hojo is the head of the Science Department. He's a genius, no doubt." He paused for a while because he was turning the truck into the entrance leading to Sector 8. "But his methods for science are…" He took a heavy breath. "Let's just say they're… not good."

"Unethical?" Meia offered.

"That's the word."

Leia turned back to look at Meia. "Veld was concerned that Hojo would discover your eidetic memory, which explains your requirement to keep low-profile. This is why Professor Timothy is in charge of your development. You don't have to worry about Hojo. Just don't attract attention while he's around."

Meia was about to reply when she heard gunshots in the distance. "What was that?"

"Oh. About that… We were under attack by unknown forces since morning. Everyone in Shinra has been activated to combat them." Mason shrugged casually. "Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" She exclaimed. "Have you been in contact with Brother Tseng or Brother Veld? Is everyone okay?"

Leia's PHS rang as if on cue. Leia answered the call. "Yes sir? Yes, Meia is with us, safe and unharmed. … I understand, sir. We're on our way."

"Status?" Mason asked when the call ended.

Leia proceeded to explain that the attacks seem more serious than usual. They would need to make a detour to the other sectors to ensure that the citizens are safe from attacks as well. Mason nodded and drove past the road leading to Sector 8, continuing on to Sector 1.

Meia stared at the chaos around her. "What happened while I was gone?" She murmured to herself. As the truck was driving past the fountain in Sector 8, Meia spotted a mass of flaming red hair and signature sunglasses. "Stop the car!" She shouted. "I saw Brother Reno and Brother Rude!" The truck stopped and Meia waved at the duo from the back of the truck. "Brother Reno! Brother Rude!"

"Meia!" Reno shouted from the distance as well. He ran over to the truck, with Rude following behind. "Yo, Mason, Leia." He grinned at his colleagues. "Meia, you alright?" He lifted her arm to check for bruises and injuries.

She refrained from blushing at his touch. "Uh huh, no scratches at all!" She beamed. Reno grinned and rubbed her arm playfully before dropping it.

"Good to hear that." Rude nodded.

Meia decided not to beat around the bush. "They asked me to join AVALANCHE."

"They did?" Reno exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I refused them." Meia answered. "I want to be a Turk, not an AVALANCHE!" She grinned.

Reno smirked. "Admit it, yo. You didn't want to leave because of me, isn't it?" He ruffled her hair with brotherly affection. Meia blushed and said nothing.

Rude shook his head. "You are the reason why she _considered _leaving Shinra."

"We can catch up later." Mason laughed. "Miss Efficient here is getting a little edgy."

Leia nodded and impatiently revved the truck engine for Mason. "Let's just get it done as soon as possible." She said.

* * *

><p>The duo waited for the truck to leave before Reno turned to Rude. "So… We really have nothing to do now." He scoffed. "SOLDIER now taking over our initial job of chasing that madnut scientist."<p>

"You had your fun of chasing Hollander down the street, though he managed to escape." Rude said calmly.

Reno shrugged. "Just that… I still can't believe he hacked into the system to gain access to our data! That sneaky little…" He made a face and decided not to continue whatever he wanted to say. "Let's go back to HQ, no more fun jobs for us."

Rude nodded. "Veld would be expecting reports from us soon."

At the mention of reports, Reno launched into another tirade of complaints. "I HATE that word!" He groaned. "You see? This is why I hate being a Turk sometimes. No matter how many enemies we've defeated which, by the way, would've made the lives of SOLDIERs a living hell thanks to nutcase Genesis and the whole mass desertion thing, us Turks will never get the glory. Nope, no 'Hey Reno, that was an awesome job you did on the clone!'. Or 'S'up, Rude, totally digging that punch you did!'"

Rude tried to keep his composure from snorting at the ridiculous things Reno said. "… I don't think Veld will speak like that." He merely grunted.

"I know," Replied his partner crossly. "Just sayin', yo." They walked past the fountain and Reno continued. "SOLDIERs get all the exciting jobs…" Reno scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I should become a SOLDIER."

"… You'll be the laughingstock in SOLDIER and in the Turks if you did so."

Reno glared at Rude. "Hey!" He protested. "I'll be such an excellent SOLDIER, Zack Fair will polish my shoes… I mean, boots."

Rude stopped at the alleyway leading to the Shinra Building. "There were assignments that only Turks can do, due to its top-secret, confidential nature. Would you really not want that?" He asked a little impatiently, Reno could sense that.

Reno scratched his head a little. "Not really. It's just that the reports…"

"They pay us much more than the SOLDIERs could ever dream of." Rude pointed out bluntly.

"True, but…" Reno paced along the width of the alley. "I don't really like working just by following orders."

"We shouldn't think that way. We should be grateful that we're Turks because of the pay, the important assignments that only us Turks can do and…" Rude paused a while. "And the friendships."

Reno stared at Rude, finally understanding why he was a little ruffled this morning (a/n: refer to Chapter 26!). _Rude… He cares for us, huh? _He mused to himself. _Amazing. Rude is as composed as a rock… but an emotional rock. _He raised an eyebrow at Rude. "Say, what would you bet that I would remain as a Turk?"

Rude frowned at him. "You mean what would I offer to someone as a guarantee that you'll not go rogue on us?"

"Same thing." Reno shrugged.

"Our partnership." Rude replied rather simply.

Nodding at his friend, Reno smiled. _Sentimentalist. _He thought to himself. While the two of them walked back to the Shinra HQ, Reno spoke again.

"Did you see what Hollander was wearing? Who wears a Banora White Juice t-shirt?"

(a/n: the last sentence always gets me giggling. Yes, the Turks are a bunch of gossips :))

* * *

><p>Inside Mako Reactor 5, Cissnei saw 1st Class SOLDIER Zack Fair looking frantically for the rogue scientist, Hollander. Just a while ago, she stayed outside the room leading to a laboratory, straining her ear to hear any piece of conversation between Zack and Sephiroth. Minutes later, she saw Hollander running out instead. He ran across the metal bridge and entered the room on the other side. Zack soon came running after. "He won't get away! Not before he tells me where Angeal is!" He said to himself and immediately gave chase. Cissnei sighed and called Veld to report the happenings.<p>

Now, her newest orders were to help Zack find Hollander. Still she wondered to herself what kind of help she could offer to the SOLDIER who saved her life back in LOVELESS Avenue.

_He clearly doesn't need my help. _She shook her head but walked towards him nevertheless._ He… He kinda looks like a lost puppy for some reason._

"Where did Hollander run off to?" Zack was muttering to himself, looking around.

"Looks like you lost him." Upon reaching him, Cissnei greeted with the smallest hint of smugness playing on her lips.

"Yeah I'm having some trouble. If only I had a Turk with me…" Zack held his hand against his head, thinking. Cissnei merely folded her arms and stared at him. His mouth made a small 'o' when he realized who he was talking to.

Cissnei held her chin in thought, trying not to look obvious that she noticed his mistake. "There's no point in going together. We should split up and look for him."

The cheerful SOLDIER did a fist pump. "No problem." He walked past her. "I'll take this right corridor."

"And I'll go to the left corridor." Cissnei looked at the corridor ahead of her. "See ya."

_Simple-minded fellow. _She concluded to herself._ I guess the stereotype that SOLDIERS are all brawn is not too far from the truth…_

"Hey Cissnei! Heads up!" She turned and swiftly caught a dark object that flew in her direction. Uncupping her hands, she gasped. "My PHS!" She reached for her back pocket, now empty. "Since when-"

"I left my phone number inside. Call me if you need help." He gave a cheeky grin and a wink. "Don't hurt yourself, alright?"

Cissnei watched the SOLDIER run along the corridor, disappearing around the corner. _O-kay…_ She admitted. _If he was able to pilfer my PHS that easily… He's not that stupid._

_Zack Fair… I look forward to meet you again._

* * *

><p>The rest of my authors' notes will be found in my blog at aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com.<p>

Quick Disclaimer: Events in the story doesn't tally word-for-word with Special Episode of Reno.

Long chapter again, one of the longest in a long time. It was initially at a friendly 3500 words, but I wanted to beef up the chapter a bit so… here we are.

Thank you to Takara, TWA and Tifa for the lovely reviews. Also, to mystery reader, for providing some generic feedback to improve my story. This explains my long delay in this update because I really want my story to be the best that I can deliver =)

I'll talk more _(anticipated response: NOOO, TALK NO MORE!)_ in the next few chapters!


	29. Etsky

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

In case you guys haven't noticed, I changed my profile picture. This is another fanart of Meia, done by The Writing Artist. Thank you very much. I really appreciate your support and love for Meia!

**Chapter 29 – Etsky**

2 April 0001

"Don't be worried." Kunsel comforted. "You'll pull off your hair at this rate."

Meia shook her head, though she did release her two pigtails. "How can I not?" She finger-hugged the carton of chocolate milk. Even though it was 4 P.M., Meia didn't think that drinking milk in the evening was inappropriate. "Brother Zack wasn't back since last night. No search parties, nothing!"

"Company protocol." Kunsel replied coolly. "We do not activate troops till 12 hours after we last saw him, which was when he split up with Cissnei to find Hollander." Kunsel patted her back. "Zack won't die, Hollander isn't a deadly threat."

The PHS rang. Both Kunsel and Meia frantically reached for their PHS… and laughed at each other.

"Well, you look pretty calm." Meia grinned.

"Right…" He grinned back. "Sarcasm. I get it." Kunsel shrugged. "Just a little worried, I'm not freaking out like someone here." The SOLDIER glanced at her ringing phone. "Aren't you going to pick that up?" Meia nodded and received the call. Shortly after, she flipped it shut and told Kunsel that she was needed for a debrief meeting in Veld's office. "Sure. I'll catch up with you soon." He waved at her.

* * *

><p>Elevator doors opened to a hallway leading to a wooden door with simple bronze doorknobs. Meia checked her uniform, pulled out a stray string from her pants and knocked on the door. Veld's voice cued her to enter, and she did. The room and its simple decorum greeted her with familiarity, the people in the room did not.<p>

Meia blushed and bowed deeply. "Good afternoon, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President…" She peeked at anyone else whom she has yet to address, but there was none. "And Bro… Mr. Veld." She ended.

"Good afternoon." President Shinra replied, but there was no trace of warmth and feeling in his voice. (A/N: Hohoho… the Shinra theme is playing ominously in my head!) A stout man of almost fifty, he was sitting on the sofa set in Veld's office, with his son Rufus Shinra on his right. Veld was sitting on an armchair separate from the sofa and he nodded at Meia in acknowledgement.

The little Turk took a peek at Rufus Shinra, for it was the first time that she met him face-to-face. His immaculately white trenchcoat remained on him, even though they were indoors. Meia heard that he was an excellent marksman, specializing on the shotgun, but he held no shotgun today. Rufus sat in an upright position and looked alert. He had a handsome face, for sure. His blonde hair was definitely inherited from his father, but not his eyes. They were blue, though the lack of clarity and intensity of the colour told her that the heir of Shinra was never subjected to Mako exposure. Still, they were cold and arrogant. Meia found herself a little unnerved by his countenance.

Rufus Shinra took a good glance at Meia and she tried hard not to blush under his gaze. "So. This is the famous memory Turk?" He asked with a mocking tone.

Meia bit back an angry retort. "My name is Meia, pleased to meet you."

Rufus leant back against the sofa. "Doesn't look like much to me." He shrugged.

Veld leant closer. "She is more capable than she looks." Meia hid a smile of pleasure at her leader's compliment.

There was a brief silence in the room. Meia shifted her foot uneasily before President Shinra asked her about her mission in Kalm. Although she was surprised that he knew of the news so quickly, she told them about AVALANCHE's mission and their reason of aggression. She described Elfe, Fuhito and Shears more, trying not to sound biased towards or against Shinra.

As she ended her unofficial report, Rufus rolled his eyes at her. "You went to AVALANCHE and you came back unscathed? That's pretty suspicious to me. You could've become a double spy now, for all we know." He peered at her, smirking.

This time, her anger couldn't be stopped. "I'm perfectly loyal to Shinra and there's absolutely no need for me to prove it." She blurted out.

There was a longer silence now, which was soon broken by Rufus standing up. "I make my leave, Father." He said respectfully. Meia tried to bide him goodbye but the blond took no notice of her, striding out of the room haughtily.

President Shinra raised himself from the sofa as well, having a little more difficulty than his son due to his body size. "I thank you, Veld, for entertaining my sudden visit." He turned to Veld and nodded.

"Not at all, Mr. President." Veld bowed in return. "And regarding Professor Hojo…?"

"You have my word."

Veld bowed again in gratitude. "Please have a good day." The wooden door closed behind President Shinra and Veld turned to her. "Meia…"

"I'm sorry!" Meia squeaked.

"In my mind, I was commending you when you did not talk back against Rufus Shinra… but then you did it at the very last moment." Veld stated, his voice was neither angry nor reproachful. He placed his hand on the sofa as an invitation for her to sit.

Meia walked over and sat on the sofa. "It's just that… _he _is so rude!" She complained. "So what if he's 19 years-old?" She folded her arms and pouted.

Veld chose not to answer his young subordinate's immature question. "Meia." He said. "President Shinra just gave me a surprise visit. Apparently he was tipped off by others of an invisible Turk."

Realising what it implied, Meia placed a hand on her lips. "I'm sorry if I haven't been invisible enough."

"It's inevitable. I was expecting him to find out sooner than I expected. It has been… almost 2 years since you joined us?" Meia nodded and answered that she has been a Turk for 17 months. "I admitted my concerns that Hojo might be interested in your memory power… Let's just hope that President Shinra…" He dropped his voice into a whisper. "Keeps his word."

"If…" Meia looked away as she tried to form her words correctly. "If I were to be captured by Hojo… would I be saved?"

Veld said nothing. Instead, he stood up and walked towards his desk, punching in a few numbers. Tseng's voice was soon heard over the phone speakers. "Yes sir?"

"Gather the Turks in my office."

"Yes sir."

The phone was silent again and Veld looked at Meia. "I'm not going to lie to you, Meia." He said gravely. "If you were captured under President Shinra's orders, we are not able to rescue you."

Meia looked down, trying to ignore the ache that persisted in her heart. She knew that the Turks are born to follow the orders of Shinra, against their very own heart, they obey. "I understand."

"But… if you were captured, Meia, know that we will fight for you."

Meia looked up and frowned at Veld. "But you said that you were not able-"

Veld's face broke into the smallest of smiles. "We're not able, but it doesn't mean that we won't try."

"Brother Veld…"

"Not just for you, Meia." Veld lifted the coffee cup against his lips and took a sip. "We're merciless, we're brutal. But at the very least, we don't turn against each other. At least, it's a promise to you, to my subordinates."

Meia gripped her knees, smiling at her confirmation of where she belonged. It was the rarest times that Veld showed concern for his Turks. In fact, Meia has never heard him say things like that before. "Thank you… for this… and speaking up for me when Mr. Rufus was mean."

The sharp but polite knock on the door ended their short conversation and Veld cued them to enter.

* * *

><p>Once again, Meia explained to all 13 Turks, including Tseng and Veld, the events that happened while she was in the Kalm. This time, she held nothing back.<p>

"Not wanting to be a jerk, but…" Rod commented as she finished. "But I don't really blame Rufus Shinra for doubting you. I just don't get it. Why the loyalty to Shinra?"

"Rod." Alana said disapprovingly.

Meia faced the Turks and smiled sheepishly. "You know? I don't get it either. In fact, when I thought of the possibility that Shinra was the one responsible for Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan… I was devastated. Funny, isn't it?" Meia gave a dry laugh. "I thought I'd be angry, but I was just… sad. The feeling was as if I found out that the murderer who killed the person I love… is a person whom I love as well."

"A person who killed…" Reno tried to sort out the confusing statement.

"Forget it." Rude shook his head at his redheaded partner.

"It's too complex for your head." Haato added under his breath, loud enough for Reno to hear. Reno gave him the middle finger, but hastily turned to Meia when she faced him. Haato only chortled in reply.

The little girl paced a little on the spot where she was standing. "I don't feel angry. I'm… I'm loyal to Shinra." Her words were greeted with silence. Meia smiled at them. "I know I have this weird thinking that working for Shinra is a necessity for us, like a top predator of a food web. I still believe so. But I'm loyal to Shinra not because it's Shinra… but because of every one of you. Each of you made an impact in my life and nothing can make me deny your existence… the existence of your goodness."

"We are the Turks, Meia." Kido pointed out. "We are not some happy family for you to fulfill your dream. We are the Turks, we work together and we don't have these loving morals that you talk about."

"Precisely." Meia smiled.

KK cocked her head a little at Meia. "Precisely?"

"The Turks… we don't have morals, but we are not immoral. We are amoral."

"Erm… what is the difference?" Rod asked.

"Amoral is to do things without consideration of whether it is right or wrong." Cissnei spoke up for the first time. "Immoral is to do things with the intention of doing wrong."

Meia nodded. "We do things by leaving behind our moral standards. But… we are not bad people. I believe in everyone of you." She smiled. "I had my past life with Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan. Nothing can make me forget the times we had. However, you have given me a new life here. Even if we've terrible pasts, or we've made unspeakable sins… you are a family in my heart… Even if it's true that you've killed my friends… I forgive you." Meia placed her hand over her heart and looked down shyly.

There was a long pause in the room. Meia's shyness became anxiety and she glanced up a little. "Am I… weird?" She asked tentatively.

Haato shook his head slowly. "I must say… I thought I'll never meet anyone else as blindly loyal to the Turks as Alana." He ruffled the blonde's short hair playfully. "No wonder she's your disciple."

Alana's reply was uncharacteristically rude. "Shut up, Haato."

"Brother Veld…" Meia turned to the leader of the Turks. "I know it's stupid of me to be so attached to the Turks, given the circumstances."

Veld raised his hand to stop her. "No, Meia. It isn't."

The little Turk turned to Veld, puzzled. "It… isn't?"

Veld stood up and walked towards Meia, looking at her as he did so. "I had my suspicions but I never gave much thought about it. The resemblance is indeed uncanny." He muttered to himself.

Meia felt her cheeks burn at his scrutiny. "May I ask… sir… what resemblance are you talking about?"

Veld cleared his throat. "I'll answer your questions… most of your questions today." The rest of the Turks sat straighter in attention. Some of them glanced at Meia quizzically. "First of all, regarding the deaths of your friends… I'm sorry that they've died in the Shinra war."

Tseng stood up. "Sir! We cannot be sure that Shinra is truly the one who killed the innocent lives!" He protested. "Meia needs to know that back then there were SOLDIER, Turks and the extremely hostile Wutai spies who wouldn't back down on negotiation!"

"Still, they died in open fire." Katherine responded gravely. "When innocent lives are lost, the fault lies with everyone. It doesn't matter who pulled the trigger."

Tseng pursed his lips, not surprised at her comeback. Everyone knew that KK suffered a war ordeal, losing her family in a mere moment. Tseng merely dipped his head at KK and sat back down quietly.

Meia looked at Veld. "I don't blame anyone, not anymore. They've died and nothing I do here can bring them back. I just want to… fulfill my dream of being a Turk like Mr. Vincent Valentine."

"Vincent Valentine!" Veld uttered the name as if he just realized something important. "Yes, Valentine… No wonder you've been… Why didn't I see it earlier?"

"Sir…" Leia's voice was polite, but even Meia could tell she was a little impatient. "What are you trying to say?"

Veld cleared his throat quickly. "Meia… I know who your father is."

The little girl stared at Veld. "Fuhito… Fuhito said that he was the last person that my father saw. And…" She scrunched her face as she tried to recall the details. "And Fuhito said that my father was murdered by his enemies." She hesitated slightly before adding. "He implied that it was done by Shinra."

"Really, now?" Veld walked to his desk and picked up a folder. He handed it to Meia. "This is your father." Meia opened the manila file and upon seeing the face and the name, her eyes widened. "Joseph Etsky." Veld continued. "He was a Turk."

"No joke!" Reno exclaimed, jumping up from his chair. The Turks crowded around the girl, wanting to have a glimpse of her father.

Tseng looked at Veld. "Sir, is that why you asked me for his files yesterday?" Veld nodded.

Mason whistled. "I confess. The resemblance is quite obvious."

"I can totally imagine him as your father, Meia!" Cassie grinned from behind.

Meia saw emotion hidden behind Veld's dark eyes. "Your father… He adored Vincent Valentine and his deeds as a Turk. He would talk constantly about Vincent Valentine."

"Sounds familiar, yo?" Reno nudged Meia. She stuck her tongue at him in response.

Rude rubbed his head in understanding. "… Perhaps this is why Meia could remember Vincent Valentine. She has been hearing of him in her earliest years while her parents were still alive."

"I believe so." Veld replied. "Back then, Vincent Valentine was an outstanding Turk while Joseph Etsky was a rookie Turk. I was working as a Turk myself. Joseph was a passionate man who had a set of values that were unshakeable, even though he was working for Shinra. It amazed me that one could be so… stubborn about his beliefs." Veld nodded at his choice of words. "Nevertheless, he was a loyal friend… Perhaps the only piece of humanity in the Turks."

Meia stared at the picture of the man with raven black hair and striking hazel eyes. "What… What happened, Brother Veld?"

"The Turks, led by myself, found him dead in his apartment. Your mother..." Veld paused for a moment. "She died shortly after you turned one." Veld left the file with Meia and walked back to his desk. Meia bit her lip as she stared at the picture in the file. "I assure you, Meia, that Shinra had absolutely nothing to do with his death."

Meia bit back a reply. Veld was a high-ranking Shinra executive, but how would one know that Shinra is completely innocent? The company is huge and executing someone in silence can be done easily… After all, there is a whole department that is kinda specialized in silencing and killing people secretly…

"When Vincent Valentine mysteriously disappeared in 1977," Veld said. "Your father devoted his free time to investigate his disappearance. I'm not too sure if he ever completed or discovered what he needed. Still, he recorded his findings in the Turks Archives. I will give you permission to read his findings."

"Thank you, Brother Veld… but it all doesn't make sense." Meia stared at the floor, a headache was forming from the thinking. "If my father is a Turk… and you said that he's murdered in his home… and if Fuhito said that he was the last person my father saw…" She glanced at Veld. "Is it that Fuhito is lying? If he's speaking the truth then… did he kill him?" She looked at Veld with pleading eyes for an answer.

Unfortunately, the older Turk did not have any. "We don't know, with time everything will be revealed." He said. "I've never thought that Joseph's child would be a Turk as well. I hope you will find all the answers you need. Your duty to Shinra is still first priority."

Meia looked at him gratefully. "Yes, sir." She laughed. "It makes me happier to know that my father was a Turk. This fortifies my decision that staying in the Turks was a good idea."

Haato patted her back. "The Turks will remain as a mismatched family for you whenever you need."

As Meia beamed at him, Mason shook his head. "Haato is being unusually friendly. Stay away." He warned Meia.

"Hey! I'm serious here!" Haato argued.

"Now Meia is no longer the 'girl with the mysterious background'." Rod joked. "Mystery factor… down 20 percent."

"So… The truth of Meia's past is finally out. She's not some… superhuman?" Reno pressed both his hands on Meia's cheek, ignoring her protests at his playful behaviour. "Not some… Special Project M? Not some… Cetra?"

"I'm not a Cetra!" Meia laughed, finally able to weasel out of his grasp. "And Special Project M? Where did you get your silly ideas from?"

Veld, on the other hand, was not amused. "Reno…" He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose in small frustration. "I would expect that from a little girl, but not from you, though I can't say I'm very surprised. You haven't been reading Meia's fantasy books, have you?"

The room erupted into laughter as Reno shrugged.

"Etsky… Meia Etsky…" She murmured, her heart pounding at how foreign her own name now sounded. Finally, she had a name she could call her own.

A loud explosion in the levels below interrupted their informal conference. "What was that?" Veld asked sharply.

An infantryman burst into the room. "Sir! Genesis has attacked the building!"

All the Turks stood up in response, drawing their weapons.

Veld nodded. "We'll be on our way." He faced his subordinates. "Here are my orders, eliminate all Genesis threats. Meanwhile, Tseng and I will investigate his modus operandi."

"Yes sir!"

As they walked out of the room, Meia groaned. "I barely had a good rest. I'm not too sure if I can take their attacks."

"Take it as good training, little Meia." Reno smirked. "They'll be here in hordes." He cracked his knuckles with relish. "You know what I see it as?"

"What?"

"A chance to show off." He smirked as he readied his EMR for battle.

Meia smiled. "I guess I'm free to do whatever I want, huh?"

Reno's dazzling smile gave her enough answer as he said. "Be my guest."

* * *

><p><em>Things that happened after were simple.<em> Meia honestly thought. The Genesis clones were, indeed, a good training ground to practise all her magic and gun skills on. Being one who picked up tactics and skills easily, she found it less demanding to defeat the once-tricky clones. Even Alana commended her quick-adaptation and improvement within the night and when Alana praises, it is praise well-deserved.

The monsters and clones wouldn't stop coming, Shinra security machines were going berserk too, targeting and hurting anyone on sight. The entire department of the Turks was activated, yet they spent a whole night of Materia, potions and bullets before the situation died down. She ran into Kunsel, who explained a little of the situation on SOLDIER's side. Genesis' modus operandi was to kill Hojo. "As we're talking, I believe they sent Zack Fair to handle the situation." Kunsel said. "Meanwhile, I'm heading to the basements to tackle the fiends that found their way downstairs."

While the Turks were trying to restore order in the company there was a loud sound above them. Meia stared at Cissnei, wondering what was happening above them. The sound seemed like it came from one of the helipads of the Shinra Building. There was a loud roar and Tseng's message popped up in their PHSes.

"Bahamut Fury sighted. 1st Class SOLDIER Zack Fair handling situation. Be on standby."

Meia turned to Cissnei. "Brother Zack is facing the monster alone! Shouldn't we help him?"

Cissnei shook her head, turning back to the clones with her shruiken. "We don't move unless they are orders."

"But!" Meia exclaimed in frustration. "But he could be in danger up there!" She groaned. "Why does Shinra handle situations so rigidly?"

"No time for you to worry for that SOLDIER anyway." Mason cried from the corner of the room. "We need to handle all these clones here." He ducked a swipe of a sabre from a clone and reared his arm to deliver a counter-punch.

"Mason's right." Cissnei touched Meia's arm gently. "Don't worry. I've seen him in combat. He's highly competent and I'm sure that if he's really in trouble, we'll rescue him… just in time." She winked.

Putting aside her heavy heart, Meia focused on eliminating her enemies. True to Cissnei's prediction, Tseng's next message informed them that Zack had single-handedly defeated the beast that Genesis summoned.

Their long night of battle ended when dawn came. Some clones wisely retreated once they felt Genesis' presence leave the Shinra Building. However, many stayed to fight to their deaths. The presence of the malfunctioning Shinra Security Robots attacking anyone who moved didn't help with the situation either.

"Someone… return the robots to Security and tell them…" Meia gasped for air as she sat down on the dirty floor in the Shinra lobby. "Tell them to lock them away."

The Turks looked tired and beaten, so Veld gave them till noon to recuperate from their fatigue before reassembling them back for another meeting for strategies in response to AVALANCHE.

* * *

><p>(AN: September)

Trust me, you have NO idea how tempting it was to say that Meia was a Cetra :P Seriously, if I made Meia a Cetra, the story would be TONS shorter than planned. Meia is a Cetra… People wants to get her… Reno saves the day… They live happily ever after. Easy.

But nooo~ I had to go the suicide path. Make Meia live the tormenting years up to the events of FF7. I had to erm… make some things happen in my story that (when you guys come to it) will make you scream and throw your shoes at me =(

However, that's what I want (not the shoe-throwing part!). I want a story plot that's… less climax-y as the others, but rich in development. Awww man… But yes, this IS what I want. But I can only do this with the support of you readers so once again… thank you for being committed to this story. =)

(The rest of A/N will be found in my blog, which is aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com. Once again, reading my glorious words is obviously optional. Please don't sue me for writing such long A/N! :P)


	30. Morals

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 30 – Morals**

14 April 0001

It was almost two weeks later that Meia could find the time to visit the Turks Archives. As she exited the elevator at Floor 52 and entered the cold room, she rubbed her hands together and remarked to herself how cold the room was without the presence of anyone.

She entered the smaller room where the personal belongings of former Turks remained and saw seven silent boxes sitting upon the small shelf, never expecting to be opened again. The Turks has always been a small group of elite undercover agents. The previous leader before Veld insisted that the group should not exceed 5 in a group. After all, the job of a Turk requires high commitment and confidentiality. A large group will lead to dilution of company secrecy.

When Veld took over 6 years ago, he opened the doors a little wider, allowing more people into the exclusive group. In fact, almost all the current Turks, except Haato, Patricia, Marshall (though they've passed on), Rude and Tseng entered the department after Veld took over.

She read some labels off the boxes, but she only intended to open one of them. "Joseph Etsky…" She read the label, muttering to herself. The name still felt unfamiliar and she wasn't ready to call him 'father' yet. "1975-1990. … The year that I found myself in Sector 4 slums. So… he was a Turk for almost 15 years…"

She removed the box from the shelf and found that it was surprisingly heavy. She carried it over to a table and sitting down, she opened the box with a penknife. "Wow…" She said to herself. "That's a lot of things. They didn't really throw anything away, huh?"

Meia soon found out why the box was heavy. Inside were a number of books and many photo frames. She immediately took out one of them. It was a picture of a group of 6 Turks, posing for the camera in an icy town that Meia had never seen before. Opening the back of the photo frame, the photo was dated 1982, Modeoheim.

_No joke. _She thought to herself and stared at the photo again._ Modeoheim before it became desolate?_

She immediately spotted Joseph Etsky, his youthful face was beaming among the other Turks, one of which she noticed was Veld. The Veld that was almost twenty years younger was grim-looking, just like how she had imagined. He stood at the back of the group, looking a little mortified that they were even taking photos in the middle of a mission.

She knew the face of Joseph Etsky before she even saw his face in the manila folder. She had often walked past the glass cabinet in the Turks' Lounge, where pictures of the Turks who have served Shinra at some point of its history were placed inside. To visitors, it was a mere decoration. To the Turks, it was the last strand of respect that they are allowed to show to their own comrades. It was the glass cabinet that she took a good glance and saw their faces. No one ever made the link that she might actually be the child of one of them.

_Who would've thought?_

Reaching in for another photo frame, this time the group of Turks in the photograph changed a little, she recognized Veld, Joseph Etsky and now Patricia. Meia's attention was focused on the new addition. Patricia was very young then, probably just a few years older than Meia. Her shoulder-length hair was coloured with many striking colours, which would've made other girls look trashy but instead looked very flattering on Patricia. Meia recognized the place as the Turks' Lounge. It looked different, but surely it was the same lounge that they now used for relaxation and short meetings.

Opening the back of the frame, the words froze Meia and she felt her spine tingle.

1987. Turks' Lounge. The Turks with baby Meia Etsky.

She immediately flipped back the photo and saw that in the arms of Joseph Etsky was a little baby girl. She thumbed across the face of the sleeping infant.

_That… that is me._

The face of Joseph was full of joy. Even Veld was smiling in the photograph.

As Meia pulled out many more photo frames, she realized that Joseph Etsky's personal possession only has photo frames and books. The photos contained mostly the Turks and her infant pictures. She was beginning to worry until she finally pulled out the last photo frame.

All she could say out was "Mother".

The picture contained a young, beautiful woman with copper hair. Her slender arms propped herself as she laid on the floor, watching Meia sleep in a bundle of blankets. Her brown eyes were full of warmth and pride as she watched her child sleep.

The back of the photo read: 1988. Home. I've finally gotten Emily to pose for a picture.

_So my mother's name is Emily._

Meia stared at the last picture for a really long time. Then, she turned her attention to the volumes of books inside. About twenty books in total.

_What are they?_

She took out one of them. Like the rest of the books, it was tightly bound by a numerical lock. "6 digits?" She mused to herself. "I don't know any 6 digit numbers… The only one I could possibly figure out is…"

With her stiff cold fingers, she hesitatingly punched in the numbers '151287'. The lock sprang open and she grinned to herself. "Oh wow…" She couldn't believe her luck. She opened the book and to her surprise, it was a journal.

_He keeps… journals?_

She took out another book and entered the same numbers, again the book was open and she smiled to herself at the conclusion that her father had re-altered the numerical password of the locks in his journals under her birthday date… As if he was expecting this day to come.

She randomly flipped to a particular page. "September 12, 1985…" She read aloud. "For many times I've struggled in my own heart wondering what exactly happened to Vincent Valentine since his disappearance in 1977. Since then, I've always been finding out the Nibelheim mission that he was last sent to. However, Shinra being Shinra, some confidential information was never leaked, even to the Turks, and we Turks are considered secret-bearers of the company. I guess this is especially so when it involves the Science department."

She looked up from reading and felt shivers down her spine. Joseph Etsky had recorded some of the most sensitive issues of Shinra in his own journals. She hastily placed the books back into the box, deciding to bring all of them to the privacy of her room.

_It wouldn't be impolite to take away his things… right?_

Her curiosity was killing her, so she allowed herself to read one more entry in another volume. "3rd July 1975…" Her eyes skimmed across the page. "It has been half a year since I joined Shinra. Being a Turk is not an easy job. Not at all. I've always thought that I'm a very fit 18 year-old man, and if it wasn't for the fact that SOLDIERs will be subjected to Mako exposure, I wouldn't have joined SOLDIER."

Meia giggled. She could imagine a young Joseph Etsky in a SOLDIER uniform. Somehow it reminded her of Zack Fair. Still she continued reading. "I honestly thought that the Turks job was to find information and shoot-shoot if needed. Gosh, nobody told me that running would be a very common thing to do as a Turk when I first signed up."

She now laughed out loud. "Looks like the job of the Turk never really changed over the years." She said to herself.

Closing the book, she placed it inside the box and closed it. It only felt right in herself to say it. "Thank you, dad." She muttered to the air around her. "For leaving this bit of you for me to discover."

As she left the small room, she saw the many bookcases, filled with files pertaining to the Turks. Tseng had once told her that the Turks Archives contained the profile of all the Turks who've worked here, and their reports on all the missions they've completed. The Turks' Archives were exclusive only to the Turks and the higher executives, but none of the higher executives bothered to visit this floor, since even greater secrets are kept above Floor 59.

_All the files here contain top information of Shinra…_ She realized. _No one has ever bothered to read through the files here? Who knows… what kinds of things we may have missed out?_

She once again looked at the massive sea of folders… A new idea now stirred in the secrecy of her mind.

* * *

><p>15 April 0001<p>

Cissnei.

Turk of Shinra. Top specialist in shruiken combat. Youngest to join the Turks. Ranked highest in handling solo missions. Hottest woman in Shinra.

Lousy in expressing her true feelings.

Earlier on, she met Zack Fair in the HQ. He smiled when he saw her, barely. Cissnei bit her lip and felt hesitant. She knew what attributed to his behaviour. After all, it was difficult to get over the fact that you killed the mentor who personally took you under his wing. Unlike the Turks, SOLDIERS are not trained, not required to leave their emotions out of their work.

"Hey, Cissnei." He said. "It's been a while."

"We've been busy with our work, it's normal, isn't it?" Cissnei kept a casual feel in her actions, but she felt awkward instead.

"Yeah…" He trailed off, tapping his heel subconsciously.

"Good job on nabbing Hollander, by the way." Cissnei folded her arms and said tentatively, wondering how much she could probe without mentioning Angeal Hewley. "He's detained, I heard?"

Zack shrugged and grinned. "In Junon's branch. Wasn't too hard to catch him, though he could run surprisingly fast."

Cissnei giggled. "Reno once said the very same thing… in a less polite way."

He laughed but she knew that it wasn't right. _Every word he says, every smile he makes… they were forced._ She shook her head to herself. _How did things turn out this way?_

"Zack…" She began.

"Hmm?" The SOLDIER turned and stared at her.

_Is everything alright? Do you need someone to talk to? I could offer a listening ear." _Was what Cissnei really wanted to say.

Instead, she said. "I gotta go. See you."

Zack waved. "Sure thing."

Now, she walked down the dirt floor of Sector 5 slums, her usually clear mind in a haze. _Why couldn't she be a little more honest and show that she is concerned about how he feels? Friends do that, don't they?_

_Huh. _Cissnei stood for a brief moment, her mind digesting the word 'friend'. Cissnei hardly considers people as friends. Colleagues, comrades, classmates… but not friend. In the Turks, sometimes it was hard to tell if your colleagues saw you as anything more than a professional partner. _So why would I see Zack, a man whom I hardly know, as a friend?_

"Perhaps I should take up his offer for dinner." She muttered to herself. She was referring to the dinner invitation that Zack offered her, the night before he was called to Modeoheim. Cissnei pushed it away by saying that she was on an assignment. She wasn't lying at all. Monitoring your subject's movements and actions does not include having dinner with him. Zack was persistent, going as far as to suggest talking to Veld for her. Cissnei can barely imagine how the leader of the Turks would react to that.

Still, it would be interesting to take up his offer and try to know the SOLDIER that intrigued her so. She wondered at how Zack would stomach her ambivalent actions. Then again, Zack Fair was ambiguous in his advances as well. Cissnei knew that Zack Fair is interested in her, though she didn't think too much about whether the motivation between his advances is platonic or romantic. She has heard rumours of his rather flirtatious behaviour, because Cassie is quite enamoured by his looks and charm in the few encounters with the 1st Class SOLDIER. Cissnei didn't mind. As long as he remains cheerful and ever-smiling, Cissnei could remain fascinated by his behaviour.

She stopped outside a pristine-looking church. Despite the falling debris from the Upper Plates, the ivory church looked unharmed from the outside. Cissnei always wondered how it looked like inside, because she never had the chance to find out.

"I was quite sure that Zack Fair walked into this church…" She murmured, walking up the steps. The large wooden doors were slightly open, but before she could push them open, she heard sobs. She hastily leant against the door, breathing hard. The cries sounded nothing like a child, they were deeper and they sounded like…

"Zack?" She muttered under her breath. "He's… crying?" _Sure he is. I would be if I killed the person whom I respect most… Would I? _Tossing her own thoughts aside, Cissnei took a deep breath and was about to push the door open to meet him when another voice stopped her.

"Hey, Zack?"

Cissnei didn't hide this time, but peeked through the tiny slit between the doors and peered inside the church. The interior of the church didn't look damaged, save the large hole in the ceiling. A man in black crouched along the aisle and his head was down. It was obvious that Zack was crying.

Zack Fair did not reply the female voice that spoke, but the voice continued. "The sky is closer in the city above, right?" In the distance, Cissnei saw a girl of her age dressed in sky blue sitting among the patch of (to her surprise) flowers. The girl stood up and she stared into the sunlight streaming down through the gaping hole. "Kinda scary, but the flowers might like it…" She turned around and Cissnei immediately recognized her face. Long, curled brown hair, startling green eyes and a heart-shaped face… there was no way that a Turk does not recognize Aerith Gainsborough, the last Cetra in the Planet, the person that Shinra has been chasing for years. "Maybe." Aerith ended sadly as she saw that her efforts to cheer Zack up were futile.

The Cetra walked closer toward Zack Fair and Cissnei found herself gripping Rekka tightly. She didn't know what Aerith's motives were, but she has to be ready in case her subject of surveillance is in danger. To her surprise, Aerith wrapped her slender arms around him and gave him a hug. No more words were exchanged.

Cissnei quickly took a step back and leant against the cool stone wall of the church, wondering why her heart felt discomfort.

* * *

><p>28 Jun 0001<p>

_In the dead silence of morning, Midgar actually looked… peaceful. _Cassie thought to herself as she looked around the metal metropolis. _This wonderful city that has many many dark… _She refused to let herself complete the sentence and quickly changed the topic in her mind. _I kinda miss hunting for game back home._

Cassie knew that being a Turk provided the thrill and excitement that she yearned for that her home, Mideel, cannot provide. Mideel was a little hot spring town that provided nothing exciting, apart from the vast forests full of hunting game surrounding it. Coming to Midgar to be a Turk was a fulfillment, yet there were times Cassie felt like she could use a break to return to Mideel… where life is a lot easier to understand.

She flipped her PHS open and made a call to Veld, reporting her arrival and commencement of her mission today. After that, she walked up to the group, taking a good glance at the people around. There was Doctor Rayleigh, the scientist who has top-secret information about SOLDIER that cannot be lost… the one whom she needs to protect.

_Three infantrymen… _She mused to herself._ One of them is not wearing full attire, too. _She looked at the infantryman standing right in front of her without a helmet. He looked young, and his inexperience is shown in his face. His hair was blond, neatly styled to spike up and it was swept to the side. His eyes shone a bright cerulean blue, though Cassie doubted that it's because of Mako-exposure. (A/N: CAN YOU GUESS WHO IS IT!)

_Not even a decent combat back-up here._ She sighed to herself. _Well, I'm not complaining. I can take up a challenge to handle all AVALANCHE attacks myself. It'll make this mission fun, at the very least._

"Good morning, I'm Cassie, from the Turks. I'm here to escort Doctor Rayleigh. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

><p>"Brother Zack!" Meia ran up to the 1st Class SOLDIER.<p>

"Meia!" He smiled. "Long time no see!"

Meia nodded. "You… Your hair's changed."

Zack Fair gave a light chuckle as he ran his hand over his hair, now styled all the way to the back, leaving a lock hanging in front of his face. "I am on standby now, looks like Shinra is going to keep me so for a while so… I took the time to do some changes. Like it?" He asked cheekily.

"It looks alright. You look more… mature now I suppose." She mused. "And… you've gotten a scar on your face?" She looked at the SOLDIER with worry. "What… What really happened?" She heard her voice quaver. "At… Modeoheim?"

She was sure a shadow of regret and pain crossed the usually-cheerful SOLDIER, but it disappeared quickly. "Nothing that you need to worry about, little Meia." He did a fist pump. "I gotta run, new recruits at infantry today. See ya!"

Meia sighed at Zack's abrupt departure from the cafeteria. She felt bad for making Zack uncomfortable with the topic that he ended their conversation early. Since his night-long disappearance on the 1st of April, Zack went to Modeoheim with Tseng. Tseng returned with a slash on his torso, though otherwise unharmed.

Zack, on the other hand, came back unscathed. However, he seemed to be deeper in his depression. Not that he showed it plainly for all to see, but he grew even quieter from when they found him in Banora. Though he was still charming and flirtatious (according to a very captivated Cassie and an equally unimpressed Alana), Meia feltthat things were not the same anymore.

She looked at his retreating figure, now entering the elevator. The broad Buster Sword that his mentor, Angeal Hewley, used to carry was now on his back. Her brain was working again, but it always goes back to one question.

_What happened to Brother Zack in Modeoheim?_

* * *

><p>Meia was reading her latest book, "The Mind of Hojo – A Biography", when Cassie entered the pantry, having just returned from her latest mission. "Hey Sister Cassie," She greeted, offering her a cookie. "How was the mission?"<p>

"Interesting." She said coolly, taking the cookie and taking a large bite into it. Cassie cringed as she saw the face of the scientist on the book. "Eew, Meia," She complained. "Why are you reading the life of that mindcreep?"

"Oh, you mean Professor Hojo?" Meia looked up from the book. "Well, they say that he's one of the brightest minds around. It'll be interesting to see what he has done." She smiled at the shotgun specialist. "Did you know that he was the one who first formulated the whole Mako-exposure experiments to the SOLDIERS to boost their combat strength?"

Cassie nodded. "Not a company secret anymore when one of our ex-Turks blabbed about it."

Meia raised her eyebrows. "Oh?" She asked. "What happened?"

Cassie shrugged. "Silenced the Turk. It's fine, he wanted out anyway."

"Wanted out…" She thought back on her conversation with Leia and Mason in the truck, but decided that she needed to finish the biography quickly so that she can return it to the Shinra library. "So… what happened in your mission?"

"Met a cute boy from Infantry." She smiled. "His name is Cloud."

"Oh?" Meia gave a cheeky grin. "Cute boy huh? Didn't think you'll fall in love while on the job."

Cassie laughed and slapped Meia's back. "Don't be silly, little Meia!" She said. "I meant a little boy! Cloud is only 14 going on 15!"

Meia's face fell. "Oh." She mused, drinking out of her orange juice carton. "He's still a year older than me." She shrugged. "Hardly a little boy in my opinion. What I mean was, what happened? Anything interesting… apart from checking out boys?"

The older Turk gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah… I learnt a pretty good lesson. Really kinda reminded me of what you said months ago."

"What I said?" Meia gave a sideway glance as she reached for another cookie.

"Yeah… all those stuffs about… Doing what you want to do and what you have to do. I…" Cassie scratched her head and sat down. "I mean… I want to help the scientist as well but I have my orders too. It's just hard to make a wise decision when both of them bring disastrous results eventually."

"So… what did you do?" Meia asked tentatively.

Cassie hesitated for a while, but smiled. "You could say I found a nice compromise." Meia smiled back. "I… I thought about what you said then." Cassie reached for another cookie. "How your father could find a good balance of being merciful and caring for the people of Midgar while being a Turk. Perhaps, some day…" Cassie laughed to herself sarcastically before she could finish her sentence. "It's too impossible." She concluded whatever that was in her head. "Whatever it is, I'm glad the mission is over, though I hope I'll be able to see that Cloud boy again. He's really… a nice person." She nodded.

_Huh._ Meia thought to herself as she bade Cassie goodbye. _It's funny. I never realized that so many of us have our conflicting morals when it comes to working for Shinra. What will all of this boil down to?_

* * *

><p>22 December 0001<p>

Sector 8 was unusually void of the noises of Midgar's night life, even though it was 10 at night. As Midgar plunges into the middle of winter (and one of the coldest in the decade), many citizens choose to stay indoors. In one of the many streets, three Turks were walking together, enjoying themselves in the conversation.

"I can't believe it!" Reno complained. "We're going to patrol every night of the week here! Just because I chipped Palmer's golf trophy!"

"… You were playing in the Archives without permission." Rude's formal voice was always the sane counterpart in the conversation.

"Oh? You're saying I'm clumsy?" Reno raised his eyebrow at his partner. "Judging by that, KK would be patrolling Sector 8 every night then! Did you see that day when she knocked her knee against the table and gotten the big bruise?" Reno clicked his tongue. "Her clumsiness is above anything we can possibly mimick."

"Oh Brother Reno, you're terrible!" Meia laughed.

"… KK may be clumsy, but her aim is definitely better than yours." Rude rejoined and Meia chortled in agreement.

They've reached the entrance of the Sector 8 Mako Reactor, when Reno spoke again. "Looks like we're done for today. Rude, let's go back."

"Sorry." Rude grunted. "I've got to do something."

"Is that so…" Reno mused, watching Rude's face. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." He shrugged.

Meia cocked her head a little, wondering what Reno was thinking. "Good night, Brother Rude!" She smiled and waved at the bald Turk. "Don't stay out too late! It's cold!" Rude nodded and left them.

Now left with only Reno, Meia blushed in spite of herself. Even after a year, fourteen year-old Meia felt mixed feelings to whether she likes Reno or not. She has read romance stories, but there weren't times where she felt like "the world revolved around" Reno, neither did she feel that "she couldn't breathe without his touch", or whatever nonsense the romance novels were capable of producing.

_But..._

Her heart feels lighter when he smiles at her. Meia smiles at the very thought of Reno and his silly antics. When she is in trouble, or worried, the first thing that came to her mind is Reno. She... She may not be one who cannot breathe without him but still...

_If Brother Reno disappears, I really don't know what I'll do._

"Weird." Reno's usually light-hearted voice sounded serious, bringing Meia out of her thoughts and looking at him.

The chill of the December wind was too strong for her Turk uniform to bear. Meia sneezed loudly and sniffled. "What is it, Brother Reno?"

"Rude's been taking off like that for a while now." Answered the redhead, his eyes still staring down the alley where Rude just left. Meia shrugged. Reno smacked his left fist on his right hand, a gesture of decision. "We've got to look into this."

"What? No way!" Meia protested. "I'm not going to poke my nose into others' business!"

Reno made a face at Meia. "Well Meia, _as your superior..._" He emphasised. "You have to listen to my orders... I want you to tail Rude and see what he's up to."

"Are you serious?" Meia gaped at him. "You're just pushing the responsibility to me so that you don't have to answer for your nosiness!" She gritted her teeth. "Your morals are as good as a hypocrite!"

"I'm leaving it up to you, little Meia." Reno grinned.

Meia groaned. "I don't have a choice, do I?" She shrugged her blazer closer to herself. Why couldn't Shinra allow them to wear coats over their Turks' uniform? "Be sure to prepare hot chocolate for me when I come back." She grumbled.

"No problem, kiddo." Reno snorted. "Or you rub your ears to gain some warmth." It was then that he noticed her ears. "Hey… you've pierced your ears!"

Meia nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh!" She replied, touching them. "I did it just last week, as a birthday present!"

The redhead grinned. "14 years old already, huh? Time sure flies. And…" Reno's voice softened. "And you're wearing my earrings."

She laughed sheepishly. "If not you're going to wonder if I threw away your present."

"I did think so." Reno shrugged.

Meia looked mortified. "How could I?" She asked. "It was the first birthday present I've received since I became a Turk!" She felt her cheeks redden. "I… I love the presents that the Turks gave, but this was the only personal one I've ever gotten."

"Yeah…" It was Reno's turn to laugh sheepishly. "Thereafter they started remembering so there's no need to give you a separate one, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Of course not!" She replied, quickly disregarding the sinking feeling in her heart.

"Alrighty…" Reno straightened the collar of his Turk blazer. "Scoot off, before you lose sight of Rude." Meia turned and was about to leave when he called out. "Hey Meia!" When Meia turned around, she was attacked by a flurry of black. Meia almost shrieked, even though she caught it. When she saw that it was a blazer, she hurriedly looked up. "But! But Brother Reno...!"

"Don't worry about me, yo?" Grinned Reno, though his teeth were starting to chatter thanks to the absence of his blazer. "It'll be a hassle if you fall sick. I'm going back to HQ anyway. Go, before I change my mind and want my blazer back."

Meia nodded and ran along the street, hugging Reno's blazer against her face, now warm and blushed despite the cold.

* * *

><p>Hello folks! Yes I'm a little early this week =D<p>

More author notes to be found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com. I suppose I'll always put this disclaimer.

In case you're wondering why do I have this blog. Honestly, it's meant for me to just put down my writing thoughts. I realized that for the past few years since I started writing, I love to talk endlessly about the behind-the-scenes of the chapter, but I know many readers are not interested in that, so I thought I'll free up the space here (to write relevant things) and leave all the mishmash writing woes in my blog.

Reading my blog is optional (though I do see visitor counts increase…?). Nevertheless, I will put my thoughts on the newly uploaded chapter on the blog too. So it's free for you guys to view… if you're that bored =P

Okay we have gotten that out of our system. I won't talk about my blog anymore (just only to put the link here… occasionally). You can also access my blog through my profile =P


	31. In An Unspoilt World

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 31 – In An Unspoilt World **

The street that forked into 3 paths was empty, there was no sign of Rude.

_Guess I have to ask around..._

It was hard to look for him, Meia found herself on a wild goose chase. The worst part was after she saved a woman from being accosted by some gangster, Meia was herself waylaid by his companions.

_Dirty people. _She thought, clapping the dust off her hands and gun as the three hooligans lay sprawled on the floor.

From the streets, to the sewers, back onto the streets and now...

After receiving information as to where the bald-headed man might have gone to, Meia arrived at the park.

"So pretty..." She uttered as she stared at the Christmas tree in front of her. It shone and shimmered with ice frost. The warm glow of red and white lights coloured the dull tree and grabbed the attention of all who were in the park.

_That's right... Christmas is coming around the corner again. _Meia smiled as she thought back on the Christmas party two years ago, when she appeared at the party with Kunsel. She briefly mused about the events then... Wutai Wings infiltrating the building, Reno's present, Kunsel kissing her...

_It's funny, isn't it? _She thought to herself._ I honestly thought back then that... I might fall for Kunsel someday. That thought never advanced to anything more than that though... _She subconsciously rubbed her ears, where Reno's earrings were dangling delicately on her earlobes.

A woman's voice broke into her thoughts. "The lights on this tree are part of a special display." Meia quickly looked up to see a woman dressed in green. Judging by Meia's look of surprise, the woman paused. "Oh sorry, it's just that I saw you looking at the Christmas tree so intently, I thought you would like an explanation."

Meia shook her head, smiling. "It's fine, please continue!"

_What am I doing now? _She chided to herself inside._ I'm supposed to look for Brother Rude, who has supposedly gone to buy flowers._ She looked around the area. _Seems like a pretty good place to get flowers, indeed. Just what is he going to do with flowers?_ Meia frowned to herself.

"The Shinra company's been doing these light ups for a long time now." The woman in green continued. "This is the 20th year they've done it. The theme of this year's display is "An Undying Love." Each of the lights on that tree represents a person's love for somebody. Somewhere on this Planet, everyone has got that special someone."

"That special someone..." Meia trailed off, her heart pumping as one person formed in her mind.

"The lights are also supposed to symbolize hope – the hope that one day we might one day find them." The woman concluded.

Meia nodded her thanks and quickly walked away before she got further distracted. A little girl stood a small distance away, her arm carried a basket of flowers. When Meia asked for a bald man with sunglasses, the little girl nodded. "Yes! He bought a whole armful of red flowers from me." She beamed. "Aerith is going to be really happy to hear that!"

The name struck Meia like a bell. "Aerith?" Meia asked. "As in, the Sector 5 slums Aerith?"

"Uh huh!" The girl grinned. "Over the past few months, she gathered some of us and told us that we could use her flowers to sell and keep the money for ourselves! She called it uh... 'Midgar's full of flowers, wallet's full of money'!"

Meia laughed at the name. "That… That doesn't sound like something she would say."

"Yeah, we told her that too, she said that a special someone thought of the name for her."

"Special someone…" Meia trailed off again. "Why do they always use that…"

"Excuse me?"

Meia shook her head. "Nothing. Erm, I'm looking for the bald man. Do you know where he went?"

The flower girl pointed to her left. "He said he was going to the bar." Meia thanked her and left in that direction.

* * *

><p>The bar was dim and cozy. Meia was glad that nobody tried to stop her as she entered the bar. There weren't many customers in the bar either.<p>

"Now where is... Whoa!" She quickly hid in the large potted plants in a corner as soon as she spotted Rude on the bar counter... with a woman?

The bouquet of red flowers was laid on the table, in front of the long-haired brunette. "Thank you, Rude. My favourite flowers. You remembered." Her voice was gentle.

Rude grunted and folded his arms. "It's a coincidence. A lady pushed them on me when I was on my way here."

_Liar… _Meia frowned to herself. _Could it be that Rude…_

"Oh? A coincidence… Even so, I'm happy." The woman turned to face Rude and through the fine spaces between the leaves, Meia saw that she was smiling. Her face was average-looking, but something about her was charming, Meia couldn't identify what it was.

"Chelsea." Rude said. As the woman, Chelsea, smiled at him again, he kept quiet and looked down at his drink.

_Oh Brother Rude..._ Meia couldn't help but smile at the discovery that Rude was shy.

Chelsea placed a soft hand on his arm. "Rude? Are you getting shy on me again?" She laughed.

"Chelsea... Stop teasing me." Rude's face looked unmistakably embarrassed. Chelsea giggled and apologised for her words. Meia grinned to herself. _Brother Rude, the pokerface, does have other expressions! Still... I'm not quite sure if I should be seeing this…_

* * *

><p>2 Hours Later<p>

Meia stiffened as she saw them getting up from their barstools. _They're coming!_ She held her breath as she peeked at their actions.

"… I'll see you home." Rude said as he took her coat.

"I'm fine by myself." Chelsea smiled as she reached for her coat from his hands.

Rude shook his head. "No, I want to see you home."

Chelsea looked up and a brief look was exchanged between the two of them. Meia looked at them, confused. A shy smile, a soft blush, the holding of hands… It would be a while before she understands what it truly means.

They smiled and left the bar, unaware that for the past two hours someone was watching them. Meia saw that they were the last few customers to leave. _Gosh... _Meia thought to herself as she stepped out from where she was. _To think that sharp-eyed Rude didn't notice my presence for the past two hours. He's... He's serious._

"Hey!" The bartender shouted from behind the empty bar. "What are you doing, little girl?"

Meia's eyes widened as she saw his face. "Umm... I was... ah..."

"You better explain yourself or else...!"

She groaned and shook her head in frustration, pulling out her chrome gun and aiming straight for his head. "No, you listen to me now." Meia said, her voice void of emotion. The bartender gasped and raised both his hands in surrender. "You breathe a word about my presence here to anyone alive, I will wash my gun. With. Your. Blood."

As the petrified bartender nodded vigorously and slid onto the floor in shock, Meia left the bar. _Only in times of desperate need. _She told herself._ Only then will I use such drastic measures._

* * *

><p>23 December 0001<p>

It was in front of the Sector 8 Mako Reactor that Reno stopped and commented. "Looks like we're done for today. Rude, let's go home." Rude replied that he had some plans already. "Oh..." Reno mused, but shrugged before Meia could say anything. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight... Brother Rude." Meia said, feeling suspicious. Was he going to meet Chelsea again?

As Rude dashed off, Reno turned to Meia. "So."

"W-What?" Meia stared back at him.

"What about Rude?" Reno gestured the empty street. "Let's hear it."

"It's really nothing, Brother Reno!" Meia waved her hands in explanation. "We don't really need to trouble ourselves with his issues, right?"

Reno peered at her with suspicion. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you didn't find anything. You're a Turk, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Meia flushed at his taunts. "Brother Rude… He… err…" Reno tilted his head and peered at her. "He was meeting with his girlfriend."

"What?" He exclaimed. "That's news to me." His blue-green eyes twinkled mischievously, even in the dark night. "All right, we're going to go over there right now!"

"What?" Now it was Meia's turn to exclaim. "I'm not going to be nosy!" Reno shrugged and ran off. Meia groaned. "He sure likes to act before he thinks." She heard her PHS ring and flipped it open. "Hello? … Brother Veld!" She beamed at the voice of her leader.

"There have been reports of a massive outbreak of monsters in Sector 8." Veld's voice was monotonous and detached, as how he would sound professionally. "You're the closest to that area, Meia. I want you to get over there and eliminate all the monsters.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sending Kido over. Long-range weapons would be a suitable choice, after all."

"Thank you, Brother Veld!"

As Meia flipped the phone shut and walked around, she hoped sincerely that Reno would not do anything drastic.

* * *

><p>24 December 0001<p>

Reno yawned. "No more patrolling after tonight!" He stretched his limbs and Meia giggled. He looked like an overstretched stick. "Let's go home, Rude." Meia glanced at Rude, already expecting the same words to form in his mouth.

"Sorry. I've got something I need to do." Rude's voice was emotionless.

_How did he manage to hide it from us for so long? _Meia wondered to herself.

Reno didn't seem to mind. "Oh yeah? Well, see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight, Brother Rude!" Meia greeted.

The bald Turk nodded and turned to leave but Reno called him back. "Rude!" Reno said. "Going to see that woman again?" Rude stopped in his tracks, not turning around.

_Brother Reno! _Meia thought frantically in her mind.

Reno seemed oblivious at what he did. "I wouldn't if I were you." He said. Still, Rude remained silent. "She-"

"I know." Rude turned his head to look at his redheaded partner, now looking shocked. "Just… Don't say another word."

_Know what? _Meia stared at the two of them with confusion._ What happened last night?_

"Rude…" Reno's voice was uncharacteristically soft and low-pitched. "You knew?" He stared at Rude.

For the longest time, the silent Turk looked as if he wanted to say something. Meia glanced at Rude, her heart pounding at the tension between the partners. Finally, Rude said, "… Sorry. I know what I'm doing." With that, Rude turned and walked away.

Meia finally found her voice to speak again. She hastily turned to Reno. "What was that about? Is there something wrong with Rude?"

Reno looked at her. "Meia."

"… What?"

"You… you didn't recognise Chelsea?"

Her hazel eyes widened and she began to think. "I'm quite sure I've never seen her before." She muttered to herself.

Before she could delve into her thoughts further, Reno spoke with words that made Meia gasp. "She's an AVALANCHE spy."

"AVALANCHE?" Meia exclaimed. "But… so if Brother Rude said that he knew… That means…"

Reno shook his head. "What the hell is going on in his head!" He yelled, punching the wall. "Of all people to talk to, to fall for an AVALANCHE rat?"

The little Turk allowed him to vent his anger and frustrations on the wall for a few more minutes, before she held onto his left hand, now pink with the impact.

"That's enough." She said with as much authority as she could muster against her superior.

Reno clearly was not done with his agony, though he took a deep breath to talk calmly again. "She was sent by AVALANCHE to place a wiretap on Rude's PHS."

"What?"

"With the wiretap, AVALANCHE can keep track of our movements and actions." Reno ruffled his hair in frustration. "You know what's worse? The one thing that confuses me …" Reno dropped his arm by his side, his expression was confused.

Meia could barely talk, because her heart was bracing for the worse. "What is it?"

"She had the chance to wiretap his PHS… but she didn't do it."

The news was not as earth-shaking as she expected, but it was shocking news nevertheless. Folding her arms, Meia couldn't help but let out a breath of shock. "Wow. Sister Chelsea... likes Rude, for real?"

"Seems to be the case." Rejoined Reno with a sour note.

"Well... I think it's swee-"

"No!" Reno shook his head and raised his voice with conviction. "She's from AVALANCHE! She's the antagonist! She's evil to Shinra! She shouldn't be having feelings for someone in Shinra! That's not the way it is!"

Meia stared at him, flabbergasted. "There's never a clear distinction when it comes to emotions, isn't it?"

"Say what you want, but I'm simple-minded like that! There isn't a grey area! You are either with Shinra, or with AVALANCHE. You don't…" He gritted his teeth. "You don't have the cake and eat it too! You don't fight using EMRs and katanas! You don't sleep and be awake at the same time!"

"Erm… Brother Reno?" Meia was starting to worry about his irrelevance to the topic but he was revelling in his rant too much to notice.

"You don't love someone who you work against! Heck, you don't even love someone who you work with, much less against!"

The words washed over Meia, a cold wave of discovery. "You… you don't fall for people whom you work with?" She asked tentatively.

"Of course not." Reno snorted. "It's just a hassle trying to keep them away… they'll integrate and you won't be able to tell the difference. Besides, working together in Shinra? That's two lives in potential danger that you gotta worry."

"I… I see." She said, looking down. "So… even if you enjoy being with the girl, and you are concerned for her… if she works with you… it doesn't cut it?"

Reno shook his head. "It's just wrong to love someone that you shouldn't love, it's easy like that."

The PHS in Reno's pocket rang chirpily, interrupting their intense conversation. Reno flipped it open and listened to the speaker on the other side. "… Right. We'll be there immediately."

"What is it?" Asked Meia as he flipped his PHS shut.

"Monsters are back in Sector 8."

Meia gaped at the news. "But Brother Kido and I eliminated them just yesterday!" She shivered. "All the disgusting bugs! And that HUGE praying mantis!" She hugged herself, cringing. "I don't wanna!" She whined.

"Let's get this over and done with, little Meia." Reno's smile played on his face, but Meia could tell that it was a mere façade. "I'm worried for Rude, yo?"

Meia nodded and they proceeded towards the sewers. Reno resumed a slight-carefree manner, but Meia's heart was heavy. Reno may have set aside their earlier conversation and will forget it in time to come, but Meia never forgets.

* * *

><p>They found not only one, but three nests. The Kimara Bugs were persistent, so was Meia's whining and screaming.<p>

"I really don't like bugs! Did you see how BIG they are? They could barely squeeze between the walls!" She exclaimed, but kept quiet when Reno threw her an extremely annoyed look.

They eventually eliminated all nests anyway. Reno bade Meia goodbye as he went to look for Rude. Meia once again hoped that nothing drastic will happen. She was preoccupied in her thoughts as she walked back to the headquarters, but her sharp eye noticed a familiar figure walking down the street.

"… Sister Chelsea?" She frowned. "Wasn't she supposed to meet Rude? I suppose..." She checked her equipment, just in case. "Time to stalk?"

The path led into the sewers. Refraining from cringing at the thought of her mega-extermination just minutes ago, she ran along the sewers until she saw Chelsea surrounded by AVALANCHE members.

_So it is true… _She thought._ Sister Chelsea is from AVALANCHE._

"How long do we have to wait for you to get us any information?" The hostile AVALANCHE operative demanded.

Meia saw that Chelsea took a deep breath before she confessed. "… I … can't do this anymore. I want to quit."

Obviously, her comrades were not taking it well. "What? What are you saying? You're going to turn traitor?" He took out his rifle and cocked the gun. The other two AVALANCHE members walked towards her, pulling out their weapons.

_She's in trouble! _Meia exclaimed in her head. Not caring about the consequences, she ran in. "Stop that!"

"T-t-th-the Turks?" One of them stammered.

"She was followed? Get rid of her!"

_Hoo boy._ Meia stretched her neck a little and made three shots at the operatives. Two died but one ran away, clutching his wounded arm as he did. Meia took a deep breath. She was still a little phobic about killing people, but now was not the time to think of these things.

"Sorry." She whispered to the corpses. Then, Meia turned to Chelsea and asked if she was alright. Chelsea shook her head.

"You... you apologised to the people whom you killed." Chelsea said softly. For the first time Meia saw her close-up and Meia now knew what was so charming about Chelsea – Her green emerald eyes. "You are... a little different from the other Shinra operatives that I've met." Chelsea looked puzzled at her discovery.

Meia shook her head gravely. "We're the same." _We just hide our nature behind the guns and the blood splattered on our faces._

"You… You are Meia, right?" Meia looked at her in amazement and Chelsea chuckled. "Rude talked about you sometimes. He mostly talks about Reno, but he mentioned that you were a lovable girl."

"He… He really thinks so?" Meia beamed and Chelsea giggled at her reaction. "Sister Chelsea... You don't seem like a bad person..." Meia looked at her, her eyes pleading. "Why?"

Chelsea shook her head. "At first, I got close to him as part of my orders. But the more time I spent with him, the more I came to realize… I really loved him. But we're enemies…"

"Sister Chelsea..." Meia said softly.

"I… was supposed to meet Rude today under the tree. But I won't go." Meia was quiet at the words of Chelsea. There was no need for further persuasion. "AVALANCHE and the Turks are enemies. We can't be together. Say, can you do me a favour?"

* * *

><p>Meia stood at a distance, watching Rude. Chelsea's words still echoed in her mind: "Tell Rude when I'm reborn, I'd like to meet him again."<p>

_This isn't fair. _Meia pouted, the romantic side of her nature aching. _Why does this have to happen…?_

Rude was standing near the tree, the very same tree where Meia met the little flower girl. Rude constantly rubbed his ears and the top of his head for warmth, white wisps appeared as he breathed comfortably.

Drawing a deep breath, she walked towards him. Rude spotted her approaching and nodded in acknowledgement. "What is it, Meia?"

_Oh Gaia… Give me the right words to say this._Meia cleared her throat. "Chelsea… She wanted me to tell you that she… won't be coming today." Rude grunted and said nothing. "She said that you and she…" Meia trailed off, for she still did not know how to break the news with the right words.

"… 'can't be together', right?"

Meia's heart ached at the hint of sorrow that leaked out of Rude's composed demeanour. "Oh Brother Rude…" She held him by his sleeve and tugged it. "Aren't you going to go after her?"

"But that's what she has said."

"And you're okay with that?" Meia exclaimed. "You-"

Rude interrupted her with a hand. "Yeah…" He rubbed the top of his head, freezing cold from the lack of headwear. "I'm okay with that. … Let's go."

"Brother Rude…"

"Hmm?" Rude turned and looked at the girl, who still clung onto the sleeve of his Turk uniform.

"Is… Is it really wrong to love someone that you shouldn't?"

Upon hearing silence from Rude, Meia sighed. What was she thinking, asking a question like that from a broken-hearted man? "I'm sorry…" She apologised. "It's just that-" Her words were cut off when Rude took a step forward and... gently ruffled her hair. "Brother… Rude?" She glanced at the silent Turk, uncertain and stunned by his unusual behaviour. Rude leant closer to her ear and whispered something before he pushed her away gently.

"Yo, you two? What's wrong?" Meia turned to see Reno walking up to the two of them. "You don't look so good." Reno peered at Rude. "You sentimentalist." He sneered.

"Shut up." Rude grunted.

"Whatever." Reno's shrug turned into a sneeze instead. "Brr, it's cold out here! What the hell are we doing out on a cold and snowy night like this?"

Rude smirked. "… Yeah."

"Let's go home. Back to headquarters."

Rude shrugged and they left, making small talk. Meia still stood rooted on the ground, her hands touching her still flushed face. Though it was quick and soft, she was sure that she heard Rude say…

"Give him time."

_Brother Rude can sense my feelings for Brother Reno_? She felt her face burn._ Was I… obvious?_

_Nah. _Another voice in her head argued._ Brother Reno is oblivious. Even a wooden log can sense emotions better than him. _

Sighing, Meia considered the words that Rude said.

_Am I... Am I allowed to have hope?_ She asked herself. _Nevertheless, didn't Brother Reno say that he won't fall for his colleagues?_

Meia looked at the tree, decorated and beautiful, yet her heart was troubled. "My friend, the fates are cruel." She quoted from LOVELESS.

_How fitting. The very reason that made Reno come into my life… is the reason why I can't fall for him. How circumstances can make the easiest things… not easy._

Reno was standing in a far distance, mouthing at Meia to hurry up before they leave her behind. She ran towards them, her mind forming a new string of philosophy.

_Perhaps tonight… In another life… In an unspoilt world… Where there aren't issues like Shinra and AVALANCHE… When a job is not life-threatening and political… Then two people will be together because they want to. No life-and-death threats, no boundaries, no criteria, no 'buts'. The answer is simply... yes._

* * *

><p>(Please go to my blog at aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com for November update schedule and other story notes.)<p>

This chapter is dedicated to TifaRokkuhato. Though you only requested for me to upload, I'll just make mention as well. Thank you for being such a supportive reader so far. Happy Birthday! =)

This is by far my favourite chapter! Finally some development in the main plot, huh? I salute my readers for the patience... but the trial is far from over!

The chapter is modified Before Crisis.

The last paragraph is taken and modified (into a watered-down version) from "Unspoilt" by redcherryamber. Yes, even my title is shamelessly pilfered from hers! Do check out "Unspolit", her last paragraph still brings chills down my spine =P The name 'Rod' also originated from her… though using Cassie as a name for Shotgun is purely coincidental! Her story is the main inspiration for my chapter and I give her full credit. Please go check it out!


	32. Lifestream

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 32 – Lifestream**

A/N: Anddd it's the new year again! Spot an FF8 reference, winners will be given a virtual cookie!

14 January 0002

Meia took a deep breath and analysed her surroundings. Tseng's orders were to infiltrate and survey the area suspected to be the base camp of AVALANCHE. She was sent to Icicle Inn after another Turk, who was initially sent to rescue a pair of missing SOLDIERS. Tseng did not have time to tell her who he or she was.

Entering the base, Meia stupidly triggered the alarm while entering through one of the air vents of the base. Thereafter, she started fighting AVALANCHE operatives one after another. She was glad to take a breather after hearing the alarm trigger in another area and the AVALANCHE members left the area that she was hiding in. She was also relieved that in her very first outfield solo mission (soon to become a pair-mission), she was holding off the AVALANCHE people well.

_My combat skills seem to have improved._ She thought as she stood up from where she was hiding. Suddenly, the alarm was triggered again, indicating that the area where Meia was had an intruder. Meia hastily looked around and saw that she accidentally set off an alarm triggered by motion_. And Brother Tseng JUST warned me about those! _She scolded herself._ How thick can you get? Oh well. _She shrugged as she cocked her handgun again. _Let's hope I survive._

Killing has become less of a psychological barrier for Meia. Alana commended her on her ability to set her emotions aside and accept the fact that being a Turk requires her to kill. "A daunting and irrational requirement, but necessary." Alana had said. "In a sick way (and I apologise for thinking so), I'm glad that it has become easier for you to kill. Not many people get it easy. It all becomes easier when you accept the fact that you need to kill or be killed."

Meia hated to admit it, but she did accept that fact that she needed to kill. She hated every fiber in her being for doing so and sometimes she wondered what would Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle say to her actions now.

_But it's all too late. _She smiled grimly to herself._ I've fallen onto the path of a Turk. It's not sunshine and rainbows, but it is still what I want._

Meia was going to turn around the corner when she stopped. There's someone behind, in ambush! She realized. She gently poised her gun and once she heard movement, she aimed at the head… of Katherine. Meia gasped and immediately lowered her gun.

"Meia!" KK exclaimed, immediately dropping her knives in surprise. Meia laughed and picked up some of the knives as well. "Gosh, I'm so glad to see you!" The knife-specialist gave a nervous laugh. "Thanks." She smiled as Meia handed her the remaining knives. "Are you done with your survey?"

"Yeah." Meia smiled. "Looks like you're the one who triggered the alarm just now."

"And you're the one who triggered it… twice." KK gave a sly smile. "Who's the clumsy one now?"

Meia blushed. "It was an accident." She explained.

The older Turk nodded. "Whatever it is, we're done here. Let's go."

"If we're escaping, there's a shortcut back in my area." Meia pointed at the corridor behind her.

"Gotcha!" With a nod, they began to run down the corridor.

Soon, the alarm above them announced monotonously. "Intruder Alert." To Meia's horror, the shutter behind them closed, blocking the corridor where they've just passed.

"Gotta hurry." KK urged. "We better get out of here before we get boxed in."

Meia nodded in agreement. "This way."

They ran to their right, down the corridor but another shutter closed, this time in their way.

"Here as well?" KK exclaimed. "Are there any other ways out?"

Calming herself down, Meia's mind began to recall the place. Thanks to the surveying done in the area, she knew the place as if she has been here many times. "This way." She pointed in the other direction. By this time, some AVALANCHE members caught up with them. KK and Meia swiftly took care of them and continued their escape. "Hurry, Sister KK!" Meia beckoned her colleague but it was too late. The shutter closed, separating the pathway between KK and herself.

"Go on ahead," KK assured the little girl. "I'll try to find another way out by myself."

"There's another way out from here." With simple instructions, Meia described the last route out. "Hurry!" Meia heard KK running down the corridor and she stared ahead.

_Alone again…_

"You girls run really fast." An AVALANCHE member sneered as he stepped out of the corner.

_Not alone anymore._

Meia rolled her eyes. "Give us a break." She muttered as she gripped her handgun tightly.

* * *

><p><em>I'm good at hide-and-seek.<em> Meia smirked to herself as she hid in a corner near the shutter where KK and her first separated. It was not very hard to run away from the AVALANCHE operatives but dangerous nevertheless. She gave KK a call.

"Have you found the other route?"

"I think I have." KK's voice replied. "I'll catch up with you soon. I think I'm right about to-"

Whatever KK said next Meia didn't hear, because she suddenly felt the presence of somebody and ducked a flying kick in time. Meia's PHS fell onto the floor. Meia quickly stood up and shouted "Ice!" The shards of solid water pierced through the enemy's arm and he staggered onto the floor with a loud yell. Two more operatives ran around the corner, blocking Meia's path to escape.

"So… back to where we first began…" One of them commented condescendingly. "You're pretty smart for a kid like you."

"I'm 14." She narrowed her eyes at them. "I'm not a kid."

"We'll see about that." The other sneered.

"Stop right there!" KK interrupted the confrontation.

"Sister KK!" Meia cried joyfully.

With the help of Katherine's superb dexterity and throwing skills, they defeated AVALANCHE easily.

"Are you alright?" Katherine asked. Meia replied that she was fine. "Let's go!" The little Turk nodded and led the way out of the building.

_Once we're out of the building, everything will be alright._ Meia assured herself.

She was wrong.

* * *

><p>"Strange, isn't it?"<p>

Despite the cold winter night in Northern Icicle Inn, the same voice always chilled Meia to the core.

"Fuhito." She stared at the owner of the voice.

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" He smiled dryly at the two of them.

_We have to get out of here!_ Meia's self-defense mechanism screamed in her head.

"Strange that you've just defeated my soldier, yet he's still alive?" He walked towards the fallen soldier.

Katherine stared at the fallen soldier. "I was sure I defeated him just now… in the capsule room."

Fuhito clicked his tongue. "You see, my Ravens are a special unit."

"Special?" Meia asked.

"I'm sure you've seen those capsules back there. By putting my Ravens in there, they can regenerate."

"Regenerate?" KK exclaimed.

Meia stared at the fallen soldier whom Fuhito called a "Raven". Unlike the normal AVALANCHE members who wore khaki uniforms, this one was in black, with a red visor over his eyes. _Isn't… Isn't regeneration impossible?_ She thought to herself. _I've never read any material stating the possibilities of it being so._

Fuhito chuckled. "They are indestructible, impervious to death." His slit-like eyes peered at them. "Even if you were to kill one of them a hundred times over…"

"That's… impossible." KK muttered.

"However… it still needs work. After all," He bent down and picked up the Raven by his head. "There is this defective one that can't even take care of one Turk." He placed a gun at the temple of the unconscious Raven. "I will return you to the Planet's embrace."

"NO!" Meia shouted but her voice was overwhelmed by the ear-splitting sound of the gun.

Blood spilled out of the temple of the Raven. Soon, like others whose lives she had seen being taken away, the green swirl of light and dust surrounded the corpse, consuming the body and then… there was none.

"No way…" KK hugged herself in shock. "He was one of your men… How could you be so brutal?"

Fuhito glared at her coldly. "It is AVALANCHE's duty to protect the Planet. We'll destroy anything that harms it. All I did was to return some of the Planet's energy back to it."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" KK yelled angrily at the tactician. "What you're doing is just wrong!"

Fuhito cocked his head towards Meia. "Ask your dear little girl what I mean." He sneered. "She knows everything about Shinra's… doings."

"Meia…?" KK turned to Meia, who was now trembling.

Fuhito pushed his rimless spectacles against his sharp nose. "Strange, isn't it, Meia?" Meia stiffened when she heard her name. "After what I told you about Shinra and your father… you still decide to protect the hand that poisons you." His face looked as cool as the icy surroundings. "Tell me, you chose Shinra, but are you torn between the truth and your false loyalty?"

"I do not hold false loyalty towards Shinra!" Meia said firmly. "I won't have you say that, even if you are my father's friend!"

Fuhito raised an eyebrow at Meia… considering what she has just said. He shook his head. "Your father turns in his grave to see you so blinded." He gave a fighting stance and stared at Katherine. "But no more about that. It's your turn to die, Shinra dogs!"

He charged towards KK, giving Meia a chance to take an aim at Fuhito's shoulder. The bullet clipped his shoulder, but Fuhito looked unharmed. Not wanting to lose another opportunity, Meia stretched out her hand and shouted a Fire spell.

Fuhito swiped the flame off his sleeve easily and turned to Meia. "The previous time, you caught us by surprise. Who would've thought you could use so many Materia at the same time?" He shook his head. "This time, your luck ends here." He held up a bangle.

"Wizard Bracer!" KK yelled.

_Absorbs Fire, Ice and Lightning damage…_ Meia frowned to herself and cursed at not bringing her trusty "Aero" Materia.

"Bring me all that melee damage you have." Fuhito sneered as he jumped into another flurry of attacks.

KK and Meia hardly worked together, so they barely could sustain any rapport fighting together. The tactician's stamina was astonishing. Meia and KK, who were not used to the mountainous terrain, soon found themselves panting heavily from the exertion of the fight and the thin mountainous air.

After blocking another roundhouse kick from Meia, he stepped back and declared. "Your lives for the Planet!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Meia yelled back but the distant rumbling of a truck stopped her from attacking. A Shinra truck skidded in between them.

"Meia! KK!" A long-haired Turk called out.

KK sighed with relief. "Leia!"

"Jump in!" Leia ordered. The two girls swung themselves onto the back of the truck and flooring the accelerator, Leia sped off before the AVALANCHE members could react.

Meia leant against the metal frame of the truck and heaved a sigh of relief. Noticing the graze across KK's shoulder from the fight with Fuhito, Meia placed her small hand on it and used Cure.

"You two alright?" Leia asked from the front.

Meia went closer to the front of the truck. "Yeah, we're good." She replied through the small window. "Sorry to interrupt your vacation like that."

Leia shrugged. "It's expected that we get called back as and when it is needed. Good thing I live in Icicle Inn. If not… I don't know how long it would take for reinforcements to come."

Meia grinned and agreed, but soon felt KK's gaze on her. "What is it, Sister KK?" She asked, though she knew what the knife-specialist wanted to ask.

"Tell me what Fuhito mean when he mentioned returning the person to the Lifestream." KK's usually cheerful voice was solemn and quiet. "I want to know... I need to know."

The little Turk nodded, albeit reluctantly. The truth was something not many people can stomach. "You know when monsters and humans die… our body decomposes into the ground instantly but our souls return to the Planet, in the Lifestream?"

"… Yeah." KK replied softly. After all, she experienced the mass effect of souls returning to the Lifestream when her town Corel was almost completely annihilated years ago.

"So…" Meia gestured a little, trying to explain herself as clearly as she could. "So we see the Lifestream as an endless river… ocean… of souls… right?" KK nodded, but she hasn't seen the point. "And… the Mako energy that Shinra use… they are refined from the Lifestream… isn't it?"

"Ye-ah… Oh my gosh!" KK clamped a hand over her mouth. "You mean…?" Meia nodded gravely. "But… that's horrible! Why… Why hasn't anyone found this out?"

"KK," Said Leia seriously. "Anyone can figure it out if they think hard about it."

"Then…"

"Shinra has… hidden the information from the people." Meia explained. "Anyone who tries to resist, or anyone who tries to publish are silenced… by us." She looked at the metal flooring of the back of the truck. "No one is bold enough for a confrontation… not with the Turks around. Only extremists like AVALANCHE are doing something about it."

The engine sounds of the Shinra truck seemed more amplified in the space of the empty snowland.

"How long have you known this?" Leia asked Meia.

Meia flushed. "After discovering the information of my father, I… I found some documents made by the previous Turks." She quietly added. "And spent the remainder of last year reading them."

Leia's tone was skeptical. "You finished reading the Archives? You must be bored, aren't you?" She sighed. "I've been tied down with assignments almost every week since April and you had time to read our reports?"

"It didn't take too long." Meia said in defense. "And I'm not done with reading all of them, of course."

"Just… be careful." KK mumbled.

"I agree with Katherine." Said Leia. "Although the top-confidential secrets of Shinra are not found in the Turks Archives, if they found out that you know more than what is required of you…"

"I'm willing to take the risk." Meia said. She knew the rationale behind their worry. After all, in Shinra, the more you knew, the higher your chance of dying should anything happen.

Once the Shinra truck reached the base camp set up by Shinra, Meia and KK hopped off the truck. "Reno and the chopper will pick you two back to Midgar." Leia said as she switched off the ignition of the vehicle. "Estimated time of arrival, one hour."

"You're not going back with us?" Meia asked. Leia smiled and answered that she intended to finish up her month-long vacation first.

KK rubbed her head. "I'm going to head inside first?" She beamed. "Don't stand outside frozen for too long!" With a cheerful wave, she walked quickly into the Shinra base camp.

Icicle Inn was blisteringly cold but for some reason, neither Leia nor Meia made a move to walk into the base. Leia stared after the closed door. "Katherine's quite affected by what you've said, Meia."

"But… but it's not something to hide about." Meia answered seriously. "Shinra shouldn't hide their secrets so. It's not ethical to hide these things from people, they have a right to know what they're using." She pursed her lips together in thought. "I suppose it'll be a while before she can get over this fact?"

Leia shook her head. "I've told you before, Meia. Keep these thoughts to yourself. You are a Turk and you're entrusted with company secrets not because Shinra wants your opinion." She chided her. Meia flushed and nodded. "As for KK, give her some time. You do know that she's been through a lot prior to being a Turk?"

The younger Turk nodded. "I know." She rubbed her icy cold cheeks. "She tries to hide it, be cheerful and enthusiastic…"

"But she suffers a lot inside." Leia ended for her. "Corel is one of the biggest milestones in the Wutai War… in a negative way. Her entire family was wiped out in a night."

"I don't really understand why she joined the Turks though…" Meia tapped her chin.

Leia looked genuinely amused. "Some of us don't understand why you wanted to be a Turk too."

"Heh." Meia smiled. "I believe in Sister KK. She will be able to clear her mind about what she learnt today." She shivered. "Aren't you cold at all?"

"Nope." Leia folded her arms. "I'm used to the temperature. Come on, let's head inside. I'll head home once Reno is here."

* * *

><p>15 January 0002<p>

"Booya, Ciss."

Cissnei jumped at the voice. Turning around, she punched Reno in his arm. "You scared me there, you jerk." She narrowed her eyes at her old-time comrade. "What's… 'booya' anyway?"

"Dunno. Sounds cool." Reno shrugged. "So… what are you thinking about?" He sat next to her and snitched a piece of toast.

Cissnei flushed. "Nothing in particular."

"You haven't been activated to do missions the past few months." Reno observed. "What's up?"

"Oh. I am on a long-term mission. It's confidential." She replied quietly. "That's… kinda what I've been thinking of." She felt her face hot and subconsciously pressed a hand on her cheek to cool it.

"I see…" Reno mused but obviously wasn't convinced with her answer. However, he knew that some solo missions are too confidential to even be shared among their colleagues so he allowed the subject to drop.

"So… Is Rude fine?" Cissnei asked, reaching over for her glass of orange juice. "Losing someone whom you care for, even if she's an enemy, can be heart-breaking."

Reno nodded off-handedly. "Yeah, I suppose. He was a little put out for a while back, but he's doing good now."

Cissnei shook her head. "I don't think I can trust your answer. You can be a little thick when it comes to emotions, you know?"

"No I'm not!" Reno insisted. "I'm an extremely sharp young chap!"

"If you say so."

There was a brief silence before Reno spoke again. "Look at Meia." Reno's voice was amused.

Cissnei looked up and saw the little girl staring into the blank air. "Yeah." Cissnei grinned. "She always does have her eccentric ways, huh?"

"Makes her endearing, yo?"

Cissnei glanced at Reno with some interest. "Really, now…"

"Aww come on." Reno shook his head, irritated. "I thought we've talked this through that Christmas!"

"Well… Meia has grown up a little… Things do change…" Cissnei shrugged. "Not everything resists time, you know."

Reno shook his head. "You're still crazy, Ciss. I don't know why I'm talking to you still."

"You used to like me." She teased. "Now, you can't stand the sight of me?" She clicked her tongue playfully. "How fickle."

"Aww man! That was YEARS ago!" Reno pushed her head gently. "You were the one who rejected me in my face." They laughed. The embarrassing times they had are now merely jokes that they occasionally used to make fun of each other. "I'm going over to disturb Meia. Catch ya later." Reno stood up and walked away before Cissnei could respond.

Cissnei sighed and picked up her own finished breakfast tray. _Reno is a little thick in his brain when it comes to emotions._

* * *

><p>She never told anyone, but it always brought an unpleasant feeling in her heart everytime Meia sees Cissnei and Reno together. Even though Kido told her that there probably was nothing between the two of them, she couldn't help but feel… jealous?<p>

_This feeling I have towards Brother Reno is not making me a nice person. _She pouted to herself. _It's not Sister Cissnei's fault that Reno likes her… She's a gentle person, she's great in combat, she's pretty…_

"Am I not pretty?" She mumbled to herself.

"Huh?"

Meia jumped at the sudden realization that Reno was just next to her. "B-Brother Reno!" She stammered, blushing a thousand shades of red. "I-I didn't see you there!"

"What are you talking about, yo?" Reno grinned. "I've been calling your name the past minute! You were lost in there!" He tapped her head playfully. "What are you thinking about?"

Meia shook her head vigourously. "N… Nothing much." She answered.

"Really?" Reno gave a sly smile. "I thought I heard a little girl ask herself, 'Am I not pretty?'" He mimicked a small high-pitched voice.

Still blushing, Meia retorted. "I most certainly didn't sound like that!"

Reno ruffled her hair affectionately. "No, you don't. But you know what I think?"

"I don't care?" Meia teased, though her heart was pounding madly.

Reno looked offended. "Meia doesn't want to hear my opinion?" He lowered his head on the table and buried his face with his arms. "To think… To think that I saved you from Sector 4? And gave up a month of meat so that Rude allows you to follow us back to HQ?"

_At rare moments like this, Brother Reno's exaggeration can match up with Sister Cassie's sometimes._ Meia mused and tugged Reno's shirt sleeve. "Okay, okay, you melodramatic freak." She said, feeling apologetic yet playful at the same time. "Pleeeeease tell me what you think, oh great Brother Reno?" She dragged her pleading words longer to emphasise her mock desire to hear his words. Reno's face was still buried with his arms, and the abstract mass of red hair made no movement. "B… Brother Reno?" She asked tentatively.

"RENOOOOO ATTACK!" Reno bellowed as he tackled her, tickling her sides. Meia screamed in protest and tried to squirm free but Reno held on.

"Stop it, Reno!" She laughed and cried at the same time. "Or I'm gonna pee! And it's gonna be all over you!" She threatened.

The Turk was persistent. "Oh yeah?" He gave a devilish grin. "Let's see you try!"

After moments of desperate struggling, Meia broke free from his attack and she held her handgun at him. "No…" She gasped. "No more!" She threatened him.

Reno raised his hands in surrender, but his smirk was triumphant. "Deal." They sat up properly on the tiled floor, ignoring the curious looks that others were throwing at them. Reno noticed that Meia has yet to adjust her messed up hair. "I think… You're going to be a beautiful girl, Meia." Reno smiled, reaching over to straighten her glossy hair. "I'm not saying this to make you happy, okay?"

Meia smiled, her face still flushed. "Thank you." She said simply. Her smile soon changed to one of puzzlement as Reno continued to stare at her. "Brother Reno? What's wrong?"

She saw his eyes focus again and he muttered. "Nothing, yo."

Meia nodded and stood up from where they were sitting, offering a hand to Reno. As they walked out of the cafeteria together, she recounted the events that happened in the AVALANCHE base in Icicle Inn, but Reno wasn't paying full attention. He silently pressed his hand against his cheek and felt a bit of warmth. He always knew that Meia was a charming little girl. Her intelligence, her innocence and her warmth towards everyone, friend or foe, were just a few things that Reno loved about her.

It's just that… for a moment there, when Meia smiled at him… Suddenly, he was drawn towards her smile. Her hazel eyes never looked that way before. And her skin… Her porcelain, fragile-looking skin… It was the first thing that Reno noticed about her, yet now it was as if he had never seen such flawless-looking skin in his life.

"Brother Reno?" Meia frowned at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Reno laughed it off casually. "Nothing, yo."

She grumbled to herself. "Why do you always say that? You are clearly thinking about something."

Reno chose not to reply because his mind wondered to himself then: _Since when did Meia become such a beautiful girl?_

* * *

><p>Oh my gosh, do my eyes deceive me? Does Reno finally realize that he might…!<p>

More Authors' Notes in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Please read and review! It will totally make my day! =)


	33. Leaving

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 33 – Leaving **

16 January 0002

It was a few days later that the SOLDIERS were sent to Icicle Inn to obliterate the AVALANCHE base. This time, Meia sat out of the mission, KK was sent instead. Meia wanted to argue that she should go since KK was injured, but Tseng simply reasoned that Meia was unsuitable to go for the mission.

"There is another mission for you instead," Tseng said. "You are to visit Don Corneo in the Sector 6 Wall Market. Two objectives. First, report back what he has been up to. Second, seek his cooperation in being an informant to Shinra."

"Bleah. Sounds boring to me." She pouted.

Tseng shook his head. "Don Corneo is famous for his lewd ways and sneaky attacks. Yet, his information will be useful. I need you to give him a visit no matter what. He's…" He looked a little uncomfortable saying it. "He prefers to listen to girls. However, you don't have to worry about being harmed. He knows better than to touch Shinra employees. I need you to get this job done and done well."

"Yes sir." Meia nodded. "I'll work on it right away, leaving tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Katherine stopped and took a good look at her surroundings. After surviving the fall from the old wooden bridge, she found herself at the bottom of the valley… with 1st Class SOLDIER Zack Fair. She was glad that the thick snow broke her fall and she suffered nothing serious, just a little shaken by the huge impact.<p>

Zack squinted in the distance and spotted a cave. "Hey, Katherine, I think I saw a cave in there. Follow me, I'm sure we can catch up with the rest of the SOLDIERs."

She wondered how Zack would know about that, since he was not from Icicle Inn. _Anyhow, it beats hanging around here in the wilderness._ She nodded cheerfully and followed him.

The ice caves took her breath away. KK stared at the crystalline water in awe. The caves were fairly dim, but the ice could capture even the minimal light in the cave, shining through the colours of the spectrum.

"Wow." Even Zack was impressed with the sight. He touched the ice-crusted wall absent-mindedly. "This is really something."

"Everything so sparkly and pretty." KK smiled to herself. _Meia would've gone berserk in a pretty place like this._

"Let's go." Zack said. As he crossed the threshold, his entire body was on alert. He suddenly ran across the stretch of path ahead. As he did, icicles fell from the ceiling. "What the…" He stared at the ceiling. "KK, watch your step. Be careful when you're coming across."

_Precisely what I'm afraid of._ Katherine thought to herself. She is most aware of her lack of gracefulness. She started running across the path, but managed to dodge the icy stalactites pretty well.

"Not bad." Zack whistled. KK grinned but as she did so, her foot slipped on an icy patch. With a yell, she landed on her butt. "Are you alright?" He laughed as he offered a hand up.

She took his hand, trying not to notice how strong yet lean his hands were. "I'm fine. I'm clumsy like that."

He grinned. "It sure is fun out here in snow country."

"It sure is!" KK smiled.

"It looks like this isn't going to be a normal stroll, huh?" He did a fist pump. "This is great!" He exclaimed, frosty breaths appearing as he spoke. "Icicles falling all over the place and I get to spend some time in these caves with a pretty girl like you."

KK blushed. "I'm… I'm not, really!" She waved her hands in protest.

"Of course you are." Zack smiled in a very charming way. Before KK could reply, he turned to the direction inside the caves. "Alright, let's keep moving!"

As they walked, KK said hesitantly. "… This sounds stupid but… you do know someone named Marshall?"

"Marshall?" Zack frowned and tapped his temple. "Nope. Not at all." He turned back to look at the knife-thrower. "Why did you ask?"

"Nothing at all." KK insisted. As they continued walking, she chided herself for even believing that it could be Marshall. After all, he did something similar when he dressed up as Sephiroth years ago. The prank apparently was still told even today. She couldn't blame herself. Marshall was a top-notch disguise artist, even eidetic Meia couldn't tell the difference between the disguised Marshall and Reno.

_Marshall…_ She looked at the ice columns and walls with some nostalgia. Marshall was born in Modeoheim, so the wintry weather suited him just fine. _Marshall…_ She thought with a pang of grief in her heart. _I can never believe that you and Pat are really gone. I believe that none of us Turks ever felt that you guys are not around anymore. Please… Protect us from the Lifestream and… _She thought back on her conversation with Meia in the back of the Shinra truck. _And try not to get your souls refined as Mako._

* * *

><p>6 hours later<p>

The Turks were gathered outside Floor 66, thanks to Tseng and his card to gain special access to the higher floors. No one spoke much, because of a rumour that could potentially change their lives in Shinra.

"I… I can't believe this is happening." Haato mumbled. He was beside himself with shock at the news.

Mason paced frantically around the corridor. "There must be some sort of mistake!" He insisted. "Veld cannot possibly be the one who has been leaking information to AVALANCHE! I can't just sit here and watch him be transferred to another department."

"Let us not jump into conclusions until Veld is here." Kido said firmly, holding back Mason by his shoulder.

As Veld walked out of the meeting room, he saw the Turks gathered together. Veld frowned but walked towards them.

"Sir! Is it true that you're leaving the Turks?" Cassie jumped straight to the point.

"Why are they dismissing you?" Tseng asked, not bothering to mask his concern. "The outcome of the last mission had nothing to do with you!"

Veld looked around at the Turks and their anxious faces… and sighed. "It is what has been decided by the executives. I have no choice but to obey."

"This is not sound." Alana retorted. "Is there a way that we can help?"

Veld smiled at her, but said nothing. He walked away, but Tseng ran towards him. "Sir! What's going to happen to the Turks now?"

The former leader of the Turks turned to Tseng and said simply. "… You're in charge now."

"Brother Veld…" Meia said softly. "I don't want you to go…"

From the corner of her eye, Meia saw Veld look at her, but before she could make eye contact with him, he left.

* * *

><p>Back in the Turks' Lounge, Reno finally let out a loud groan of irritation. "Damn them all to hell!" He cursed. "What were the Shinra executives thinking, transferring Veld?"<p>

Meia sat on the couch quietly. She knew that no matter how angry, upset or disturbed he was, Reno never showed those emotions on his face and actions in front of his superiors. That was how professional he was… and why he was deathly silent earlier on. She gripped the armrests of her couch tightly, not wanting to cry in front of her colleagues.

_Brother Veld has left. _She thought bitterly to herself. _There's so much I want to know about Joseph Etsky and he's the only person that knows him personally. Now… I'm back to square one._

"What will happen now?" Rude turned to Tseng.

"Veld informed me that there will be a new executive taking over his position." Tseng replied calmly.

"I bet you 500 gil it's Palmer." Reno groaned.

"Who's Palmer?" Rod asked.

"The freaking effeminate head of the Space Department." Answered Haato. "I won't be surprised if that happens. There's nothing to do in the Space Department, really." He swung his legs onto the coffee table. "Better him than Heidegger."

"Hell, not that 'GYA HA HA!' horse." Complained Alana. Her words were met with silence. She glared at them. "What?"

Meia broke the silence by explaining, "It's just that… if it takes you to insult someone like that… I better not want to meet him." The Turks laughed lightly at Alana's uncharacteristic outburst, but none of them really felt cheerful at all.

Alana rolled her eyes. "I'm good with Veld's leadership and he has been stable and just. It's just that… re-adapting to a new leadership is going to be tedious." She explained.

"How about Scarlet?" Offered Mason. "She's the head of the Weapons, right?"

Cissnei shook her head. "I want Veld back, but if I have to do without him, I do hope our new leader is the head of Urban Development, Reeve Tuesti." Said Cissnei thoughtfully. The older Turks nodded in agreement.

"He's really the better one of the lot." Agreed Haato.

Mason sighed. "Now we need to wait for KK to be back from Icicle Inn." He stood up and poured himself a glass of water. "I'll let her know about Veld."

"And I'll drop Leia a message via her PHS." Haato offered. "Terrible news to receive while in a holiday, in my opinion."

Meia hugged her knees and fell silent, no longer listening to the conversation around her. The conversation soon came to an end and the Turks left to do their other things. Meia slowly got up and left too, heading straight for her room.

* * *

><p>In the past year Meia took her time to read the entries that her father has left behind. Joseph Etsky skimmed through the happenings of his missions, focusing plainly on his emotions then. She loved how personal the journal was, as if her father was telling these stories to her as a child.<p>

"27 February 1980. Today Davis and I had the day off, so we decided to take a short trip to Costa del Sol to check out babes and chicks…" Meia laughed at the sentence. "But it turned out to be a mistake. Davis and I barely started on our day off before we were called back to HQ… because of information that Jansen died. It was heart breaking to see him gone. So I sort of did something stupid. I gathered his personal belongings, placed them in a box… And left it in the Turks Archives. It would be a shame to see artifacts of their existence disappear just like that."

_Huh_. She thought to herself._ So the whole ritual of placing the deceased's personal belongings into boxes was his idea._

She locked the journal and returned it into the box. She checked her clock. It was only half past nine at night. She hasn't eaten but she wasn't feeling hungry. Meia laid back on her bed but felt restless. After a few moments of tossing and turning, she gave up and walked out of her room. She walked into the pantry and descended into the connecting pantry at Floor 53… the residential rooms belonging to the male Turks.

Haato, Mason and Kido were in the pantry as she appeared from the top. Haato and Mason were topless, but Mason hurriedly left the pantry muttering something about finding a t-shirt to wear while Haato continued reading his newspaper without a care.

"Good evening, Brother Haato, Brother Kido." She greeted.

"Yo." Haato greeted while Kido nodded in acknowledgement. "There's only one reason why you're here." He cocked his head at the entrance of the pantry before returning to his paper. "'The Fastest of the Turks' just walked past the pantry from his showers."

"I really am curious to know how this term really came about." Meia mused.

"It is a long story." Kido said.

Haato looked up from his reading. "Let's just say that I'm not cordial to people who steals my food." Meia laughed in reply. "I'll tell you the story another time. Goodnight." Meia thanked him and as about to leave the pantry when Haato added teasingly. "Don't do anything funny."

"We won't." Meia replied calmly before she disappeared down the corridor.

Haato looked up in surprise but she was gone. "Did… Did she say that?" He turned to Kido. "She knew what I was saying?"

The double-gun specialist grunted. "She's 14 years-old and well-read, Haato." He glanced at the older Turk. "Of course she'll know." He replied in a matter-of-fact way.

"She… She has indeed grown up, huh?" Haato mused. "She used to be this wee small."

Kido shrugged while Mason came back from his room. "Meia?" Mason asked.

"Gone to Reno." Haato replied.

"Huh." Mason answered. "They are pretty close for friends, huh?" He commented casually, but Haato knew his implications.

"Beats me. Then again, Meia functions with a set of values different from a normal human being." Haato said. "And Reno has no guts to do anything indecent." Mason snorted and agreed.

* * *

><p>Reno always felt that his room was a little too small. A bed, a closet and a short cabinet didn't leave much room for him to put much else. The rooms used to be bigger, but then again, the Turks were a lot smaller in number and they had to be in the HQ all the time, unless given the day off.<p>

He sat on his bed and threw on some clothes. He wasn't one of those men who likes to walk around topless. Haato and Mason had no problem with that. _Nah. _Reno decided then. _I'm not the sort to do stupid things like this. _He patted his skinny stomach._ Rather, I don't have the body to do it. I can't gain weight at all. _

Two small but sharp knocks on his door made him stop towel-drying his hair and call out for the visitor to enter. The door opened to reveal Meia Etsky, dressed in green pajamas and her hair was dry. His stomach lurched at the sight of the girl. Truth was, he felt a little uncomfortable being around Meia, ever since he caught himself staring at her yesterday. The bigger, annoying part was that Reno cannot figure a proper explanation to his behaviour.

"Yo." Despite his discomfort, Reno always found himself smiling at the sight of the little girl. "What's up?"

She pouted a little and tugged at the hem of her pajamas. "I can't sleep."

He glanced at the clock in his room. "It's only 9.30."

"I don't really want to be awake." Meia shuddered at the events of today. "Please let me be here?" She pleaded. "I'll go back to my room when I'm sleepy."

Reno sighed, as if he was faced with a clingy child. "Come in, Meia. Don't leave my door open." He beckoned her.

She closed the door behind her and as usual, she climbed onto his bed, snuggling in his covers. Reno ruffled her hair and pulled the blanket closer to her.

They often had late night talks. Usually Meia would go to his room and they'll chat, sometimes they talk about serious matters, like his past and her own. Sometimes they would gossip ("Discuss!" as Meia would often justify) about the Turks around them. Not that they spoke nasty things, but interesting things, like whether Leia would ever realize that Haato is serious in his feelings for her or whether Rude has leg hair (Reno knew the answer though he suggested the topic. He enjoyed that particular conversation so much that he kept quiet on his knowledge and joined Meia in her speculation). Sometimes they spent hours just poking fun of each other. Reno has never gone through more than 15 minutes with Meia in silence. He truly enjoyed her company and he knew the feeling is mutual. After many hours of cajoling and laughing, when Meia is finally sleepy, they'll say goodnight and she would head back to her room.

_Tonight wouldn't be an exception._ He thought. Then he frowned to himself. _… Why would I need to assure myself so?_

She stared at Reno, particularly his hair. "I don't think I can ever get used to this." She gestured his face. "I know that your hair isn't gravity-defying, but your natural hair is simply… different." She grinned at his hair, now hanging limp on his face.

Reno brushed his damp scarlet hair to the right. All the straight hair fell over smoothly without resistance. "Can't help it, girl." He shrugged. "My hair is as dead as seaweed when wet. Besides, they only look good with good hair wax and awesome hairstyling skills."

"Which you've learnt from Brother Kido." Meia pointed out with a cheeky smile.

"Of course." Reno sighed. "Only Kido can make that hair of his stay that way the entire day." They laughed and soon fell into silence.

Meia stretched her legs, her feet brushing against Reno's knee underneath the blanket. He flinched and sat even straighter, but she did not notice. "I'll miss Brother Veld." She said sadly.

"We all will." Reno replied, feeling a little awkward that she didn't notice the physical contact. "He has been the head of the department for many years. Most of us wouldn't be a Turk if not for him."

Meia mused, her fingers twirling around her hair. "You know… my father thought that Brother Veld needed to lighten up." She said.

"You mean in his journals?" Reno asked. Meia often talked to him about the journals that her father collected, though she did not reveal any information that was confidential.

"Uh huh." Meia nodded. "Brother Veld was kinda like Brother Tseng, from his description."

"Ah," Reno said. "A royal pain."

Meia giggled. "Brother Tseng is not so bad." She smiled. "If Alana's younger sister has a crush on him, he must have some good in him, right?"

"She's only met Tseng twice." He said, pointing out two fingers. "Also, Elena's only 12." He made a face. "Not the best age to judge character, yo?"

"Is it?" Meia gave a sideway glance at him. " When I was 12, I thought that you were the nicest person I've ever met."

Reno allowed a smug smile to hang on his face. "Then you're lucky your judgment was sound." His smile widened to a grin when he saw her roll her eyes.

A comfortable silence fell between the two of them, before Reno stretched his arms. "Whatever comes from now on, Meia," He said firmly. "We have to deal with it, because we are the Turks. If we can't do it on our own accord, then we accept the fact that our job is to listen to orders." He shrugged. "Rude taught me that many times."

"I understand." Meia nodded. "I will do my duties as a Turk, but I… I cannot deny the loss in my heart at Brother Veld leaving… I cannot imagine anyone else good enough to lead us." She stared at the floor forlornly. Reno pulled a face as well. Somehow, the absence of her smile was enough to make him solemn too.

Reno stared straight ahead. "Meia."

"Hm?"

"When the both of us are free, let's go down to the Chocobo Ranch."

"Really?" She leaned forward and asked excitedly.

Reno grinned. "Why not?" He asked. "I don't think you've ever seen a chocobo, right?"

"Only in books and videos." She replied, bouncing on the bed up and down. "I've never seen a chocobo up close before! Can we really go look at chocobos? Promise?" Meia held up a pinky finger.

Reno laughed. "Who was the little brat who said last year, 'I'm 13, Brother Reno, I'm old enough to 'talk the talk and walk the walk'?"

She flushed and grinned cheekily. "Indeed, Turks don't break promises easily. But a pinky promises seals the deal!" She insisted.

_What a kid._ Reno thought, but he reached over and hooked her pinky finger with his nevertheless. "There we go, little girl." He declared.

Meia glowed with happiness at the thought of seeing the cute animals and Reno felt his smile return. He stared at her as she talked about some information she read about chocobos and noticed her gold loop-earrings. Then, he was reminded of a statement that he thought to himself years ago, when he was standing with her at the balcony in the Shinra's Christmas party. He still remembered how she beamed at his present. He purposefully took up the assignment to Rocket Town so that he could get the earrings for her. He was surprised that two years have passed, but his thoughts towards Meia didn't deviate too much.

_I want to protect this smile forever._

* * *

><p>Yeah people, my exams are over! Party party party!<p>

Except that I'll be on hiatus for three weeks. I'll be overseas and won't be back till after 12th December.

More information and authors' notes in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com.

Please read and review! :D


	34. Life Goes On

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Happy Birthday to me! I shall share my joy by uploading two chapters in a go! I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 34 – Life Goes On**

They talked for many hours, but tonight Reno did more of the talking. He told her stories about his rookie missions with Cissnei and Tseng, months before Meia entered Shinra. It was close to 2 in the morning when Reno realized that Meia fell asleep halfway through his story. "Meia…?" He called out. "Meia?" He tried again. Upon seeing that there wouldn't be any response from her, he realized the implications. "Ah hell." He cursed.

He stood up from his bed and stared at the sleeping figure. "What should I do?" He scratched his head. "I would carry her to her room but I don't really want to wake her up. Rude and the rest are sleeping…" He groaned. "This is such a dilemma!" He glanced at Meia. "Okay… I'm going to sleep on the floor till she wakes up… or something." He mumbled as he pulled a pillow from the bed.

The floor was stone cold and Reno cringed at the chill. The bed looked much more inviting, but…

Reno stared at Meia. It was the first time he truly looked at her sleeping. Sometimes, just for fun, he would go over to Meia's room to talk to her till she fell asleep. Then he'll leave without much of a second glance.

_Now…_ as Reno watched her, he once again noticed her pearlescent cheeks. He gulped at the many thoughts that erupted from just a glance.

_Why are you so conscious about Meia now? _A voice in his head asked him in a teasing tone. It was not the only one speaking to him.

_Meia sure changed a lot, hasn't she?_

_A lot prettier, not as child-like as she used to be._

_Why are you so uptight with her being in the same room as you?_

_Wasn't it just yesterday that you realized how pretty she's become?_

Many unidentifiable voices seem to speak to him all at once. He rubbed his eyes and tried to shake the thoughts out._ I must be tired. _He decided. _I'm hearing lots of voices._

Reno picked up the sound of Meia tossing in his bed. _My bed…_

He couldn't help but peek at her again. Now her sleeping face was facing him and Reno's eyes were again drawn to her lips. _Since when were they so… glossy? Kissing her would be…_

"Oh sh-" Reno hissed to himself as he stood up with a start. He stepped away from his bed and leant against the door. A revelation settled down on his heart slowly, like a precise engraver carving the very conclusion that answers why he has been feeling edgy seeing Meia.

For the next 3 minutes, Reno had absolutely no idea how to handle the realization. His brain ran through his entire dictionary of vulgarities. "Damn it, Cissnei!" He cursed his friend under his breath. "I swear to Jenova, if it didn't all begin with your stupid comments!" He fell silent again, not really knowing what he'll really do to Cissnei.

Then the next hour came Reno's justification of his feelings. "No. There's no way it… argh!" He wanted to yell, badly but he was afraid of waking Meia up. "No, no, no, no, no!" Reno said to himself again, his inner being tumultuous with arguments.

_Meia is just a sister to me! _Reno assured himself. _I don't…_

_**But you'll die for her, isn't it?**_An Inner Voice replied, as if it had life and knowledge of its own. _**You'll not hesitate to protect her.**_

Reno wished that this opposing voice had a physical body so that he could pummel it to the ground and settle it easily. _That's because the Planet needs more good people like her!_ He thought to himself.

_**You've long gotten over the murder of Alyssa and you've begun to accept yourself as a redeemable creature. You've long ago stopped viewing Meia as the redeeming savior in your life. You've never directly dismissed the idea of a possible future with her.**_Replied the Voice without missing a beat.

_What about Cissnei? _Reno thought to himself. _I used to like her, but it doesn't feel like this._

Somewhere inside, Reno knew.

The Voice took its time to respond. _**This doesn't feel like the time when you liked Cissnei, because it's not the same. She saw it herself, that's why she rejected you.**_Reno could hear a smug tone in its voice. _**A wise choice indeed. **_

Reno closed his eyes and, trying not to look at the peaceful sleeping girl, he thought back on his days as a rookie… And what happened with Cissnei.

* * *

><p><em>Reno was 16. He was young and brash, but very capable in combat and hunting. His senior, Tseng, sent in reports of good performances. His title "Fastest of the Turks" was not gained in vain.<em>

_It initially started as a recurring joke among the seniors when they discovered that Reno had an amazing talent… of snitching others' food without being caught. Haato would often be so irritated with his immature (yet skilful) actions of stealing his favourite honey-roasted chicken chop. It was very soon that when Reno successfully swiped the entire chicken chop off Haato's plate, that Haato pulled out his katana and swore that he'll slice the rookie's fingers off. Haato never managed to slice the cheeky recruit's fingers, though Reno soon gained acknowledgement that his speed was simply unmatchable._

_Reno enjoyed his days in the Turks, the males were good opponents to spar against, the females were beautiful to look at, but the prettiest of them all was Cissnei. He liked her and wasn't too secretive about it. They hit off pretty well and spent a lot of time together, even the older Turks teased them about their relationship. _

_It all ended as abruptly as it began, when Reno asked her on a date._

_He saw her walking out of the Turks cafeteria and grabbed her by the hand. "Yo." He greeted casually, but noticed that Cissnei gently pulled her hand out of his grip. _

"_Hey, Reno." She smiled. "What are you up to?"_

_He grabbed her by the hand again and pulled her into the Turks' Lounge. The lounge was empty, which was just what he hoped for._

"_I was wondering if you wanted to… you know, have dinner with me." He shrugged, though he was grinning._

_Cissnei's face darkened a little and she folded her arms. "Listen… Reno…" She said uncomfortably. "I like you…" She frowned when Reno's grin grew wider. "But… I don't think that this is such a good idea."_

_Reno raised his eyebrows. "What?" He peered at Cissnei's brown-red eyes, a unique colour that he hardly sees in anyone else. "Do you have a better idea, Ciss?" He asked, his turquoise eyes twinkling with mischief._

"_I mean this whole… thing." She said quietly. "I don't think our friendship is moving in a direction that's appropriate." She gripped her arms tighter and choked out. "I gotta go."_

"_Oh no, you don't." Reno grabbed her arm as she turned around. She was pulled back, but she did not turn to face him. "Okay Cissnei, I'm going to be direct with you here." He said casually but his heart was pumping at how close the female Turk was. "I like you, a lot. And I know that somewhere inside, you do feel the same."_

_Cissnei was silent and Reno took that as a good sign. "Why can't we just try it out and see how it goes? I promise I'll go slow and-"_

"_Reno."_

"_What?" He asked._

"_The problem doesn't lie in me." Cissnei pulled her arm away from his grip. She turned around and stared at Reno. "It lies with you." Her small face hid a small amount of amusement even as she said so._

"_What are you saying, yo?"_

_Cissnei shook her head. "Tell me, why do you like me?"_

_Reno scoffed. The question was too simple. "Easy, I like you because you're pretty." He answered plainly, his hand reaching for her cheek._

_She pulled away just before he could touch her. "Precisely." She said. "Your… Your whole value on relationship and love is so superficial." She walked around. "It's not like we had quality talks, or that we know each other well. We only talk about work and… work!" She paced a little on the spot. "I… I like you, Reno, but it's not that way. I don't think that this is the best thing that can happen to us."_

"_The hell you talking about?" He walked towards her, not understanding what she has been trying to say._

_Cissnei placed her hands on Reno's shoulders. "One day, when love comes into your life. The feeling will be way different from what you're feeling now." She said sadly. "You'll probably be knocked out by the sheer realization of it all, you'll find yourself never wanting to leave her, you'll find yourself wanting to protect every fiber of her being, her existence. Then, you'll know that you truly like the girl, and it won't be me." She gave a small smile. Dropping her hands, she walked away but paused at the door. "We're still friends, right?" She asked hopefully._

_Reno rubbed his head. "I… I need to think about it."_

"_I don't blame you." Was the last thing she said before she left the lounge._

* * *

><p>Reno never fully figured out Cissnei's words. He later on concluded that Cissnei's rejection attributed to the fact that she wanted to keep the relationship in the office professional. He suggested it to her the following day and she laughed, though she never clarified nor corrected his conclusion, so Reno assumed that it was the case. Cissnei never tried to avoid Reno since and they remained close, though the romantic tension disappeared. Eventually, when all his feelings for Cissnei evaporated, Reno admitted to Cissnei that perhaps he really didn't like her as much as he thought he did.<p>

"Perhaps I'm not cut out for relationships at all." He concluded and again, Cissnei only laughed and said nothing more.

_Now…_

Watching Meia sleep, Reno finally felt something inside and it was different from how he felt towards Cissnei.

_But of all people, it shouldn't be Meia!_

_**Why?**_The Voice persisted.

_It just shouldn't be this way! _Reno paced around in his room. His jaw dropped as he realized something. _I don't fall for my colleagues!_

_**You came up with that decision because you couldn't accept any other reason why Cissnei would reject you.**_

_But eventually, I believed in it as well._

_**Would you want a life with Shinra, or a life with her?**_

_Meia…_

Reno was sure he could _hear _The Voice smirk at his immediate response. Reno rolled his eyes and pointed the middle finger at the space in front of him.

"Great." Reno muttered. "Now I'm arguing with a non-existent being." He sat back down on the floor, his back facing Meia so that he wouldn't be distracted anymore. "Calm down, Reno." He said to himself. "Think back on the times that you've talked to Meia. Anything that screams that I might have fee…" He stopped at the sentence. Even confessing the whole thing out was a difficult job for him.

Simple-minded Reno hated times like this. He would much rather have a straight answer, rather than to find and infer and conclude.

"You know what?" He tossed his arms up in defeat. "Screw all of this!" He hissed. "I don't give a shit to what that inner _thing_ is saying. I just need to _know_ that I'm good with Meia. She's a sister to me, that's all that's important!" He crossed his arms, feeling good about himself.

_Now to last through the night without being distracted by her._

Reno didn't remember when he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>17 January 0002<p>

When Meia woke up, her heart skipped a beat as she tried to figure out her surroundings. She soon heard a soft snore and the familiar smell of fresh laundry that told her she was in Reno's room.

_I… I fell asleep on his bed?_

Blushing to the roots of her head, she eased herself up slowly and realized she was the only one on the bed. Peering over the edge, she saw Reno lying on the floor. He took the other pillow from his bed but that was it. He was curled up in a fetal position. _Probably from the lack of a blanket._ She pursed her lips, embarrassed by the fact that she caused him to sleep without a blanket. Meia tried to lift the blanket so that she could cover Reno, but she was distracted.

_Has it already been one year since I last saw him asleep like that? _She wondered. _Back in the Shinra cargo ship, where the idiot stunned me with his EMR. _

"Meia…"

She stared at Reno. "You're… awake?" She asked tentatively, but he was still asleep. As she frowned at what happened, a blush crept onto her cheeks.

_He… He calls my name when he's asleep?_

"Meia… Return me my meatball spaghetti… now…"

Her face fell. _You must be joking. _She coughed. _Just when I thought that you were really dreaming of me._

She gazed at his sleeping face. His sleeping countenance never failed to keep her attention on him. His turquoise eyes were now closed, reducing the cheekiness factor. His mouth was shut, reducing his annoying factor. Now Reno looked like a child, even his two ridiculous tattoos on his cheek made him look endearing.

_He looks… cute sleeping like that. _Meia smiled to herself. Without realizing what she was doing, her hand reached out and brushed a lock of his red hair. Without the massive gunk of hair wax (she has seen him style his hair) and that it's dry, his hair is not limp like seaweed, but neither is it the unruly mass that he likes to style in. His hair is spikey in a very natural way.

_What rubbish. _Meia mocked at her own description of his hair. _Whose hair is naturally so spikey that it looks unnatural? _(A/N: Say it together, 1, 2, 3… Cloud!)

As soon as her fingers felt the light brush of his hair, she immediately withdrew her hand and stared at Reno for any sign of movement. There was none. _Is… Is Brother Reno that tired? _She wondered to herself. _Didn't he say that he was a light sleeper?_

She peeked at the clock. It was 5:30 in the morning. _Better get up for my morning jog._ She decided. Even after almost three years, she never slackened in her exercise regime. Stamina, like what her father wrote in his journal decades ago, is the key to being a good Turk.

After placing the blanket gently over Reno, Meia left his room, closing the door silently behind her. She walked into the pantry at Floor 53… and found herself face-to-face with Haato and Rude.

"Don't do anything funny." Haato began his greeting with his quote. "We won't." He mimicked her higher pitched voice in response. He drank from his coffee cup. "Hypocrite."

Meia blushed. "It's not what you think. I fell asleep on his bed. Besides, Brother Reno was sleeping on the floor when I woke up."

Rude coughed. "… Haato is just teasing you."

"I know." She said crossly. "You know he won't do that, right Brother Rude?"

Haato grinned cheekily. "Reno doesn't have the guts to."

Meia considered his words. "Yeah, that's true." She agreed. Haato chortled and gave her a high-five. "Just between you and me, though." She warned the katana user, who grinned.

Rude raised an eyebrow at her but before he could say anything, Kido walked into the pantry. Meia noticed how at 5:30 in the morning, his hair was already perfectly styled. Kido observed Meia from the doorless entrance of the pantry. "Fell asleep on the bed?" He asked.

"Yeah." Replied Meia sheepishly. "It shouldn't happen again."

"Not my problem." Kido walked to a cupboard and took out some tea leaves, courtesy of a recent client who lives in Cosmo Canyon.

They heard a shriek upstairs and Meia glanced at the staircase. "What happened?" She wondered aloud.

"Don't you know?" Haato asked Meia, who shook her head. "It happens almost every morning. The girls and their bug problem."

"BUGS?" Meia stared at Haato fearfully.

Very soon after, Cassie ran down the spiral staircase. Her beautiful sandy brown hair was down and in disarray. She looked on the verge of tears. "Cockroach!" She exclaimed.

Rude frowned. "You would think that after a few infestations, you should be used to seeing them."

Cassie shook her head violently. "Kidoooooooo-!" She pleaded, rattling the metal railings as she did.

Setting his box of tea leaves down, Kido stared at her. "This is the third time." He deadpanned.

"Pretty please!" Cassie insisted. "The rest of us girls will be eternally grateful. Right, Meia?" She looked at Meia. "Why are you down there anyway?"

Meia blushed and muttered some lame excuse to divert the shotgun-user's attention.

Kido sighed. "Where is it?" Joyful, Cassie led the way to the bathrooms.

"I never noticed that we had infestations." Meia observed as she followed Kido and Cassie down the corridor.

"You're lucky then." Cassie complained. "The bathrooms are the worst. What is Shinra thinking, making us live in such pathetic conditions? We should totally bring this up to Vel…" She fell silent, realizing what she said. "I mean, whoever that is taking over us."

Efficient and swift, Kido killed the three cockroaches in the bathroom. "No more of them." He said.

Cassie released a huge sigh of relief. "That's a relief! You know, Kido… if you look past the abstract hair… You are very manly!" She grinned.

Kido pulled his mouth into a straight line. "I resent that compliment." He replied. Meia laughed in reply.

Waving goodbye to them, Meia walked back to her own room. With Veld gone, the Turks still had to deal with their everyday problems. There are still missions to complete, reports to fill. The consequence of the change has been significant, but life goes on nevertheless.

Again, the words of Reno filled her head. "We have to deal with it, because we are the Turks. If we can't do it on our own accord, then we accept the fact that our job is to listen to orders."

_They've tried to move on._ Meia decided to herself. _And so I must._ She closed the door of her room behind her and changed into her exercise wear.

* * *

><p>"Where's Meia?" Reno yawned as he walked into the Turks' Lounge. "Haven't seen her at all."<p>

Rude stared at Reno. Despite his fatigued face, Reno's voice sounded a little tense. He turned back to stare out of the window into Midgar. "Left on an assignment." He frowned at Reno's sleepy countenance and checked his watch. "What time did you wake up?"

"Just."

Rude raised an eyebrow. "… At 1 in the afternoon?"

Reno shrugged. "With Veld gone, it's not as if I give a shit."

"Huh." Rude turned back to stare out of the window. "So what time did you sleep last night, to be so sleepy now?"

"Around 5."

Rude slowly turned back at Reno again. "5?"

"Yeah… Erm… Meia was kinda sleeping on my bed so I didn't really…" Reno's usually confident voice wavered. "I err… I couldn't sleep with her on my bed so… I did other things till I was too tired to let my brain complain. I fell onto the floor and slept like a log." He yawned. "I must be getting old, I used to be able to stay up for three nights without a wink."

"… You weren't like this the last time Meia came to your room." Rude stated. "And you're only 19, hardly old to me."

"I'm going to be 20 this August." Reno reminded him. "FYI, the last time Meia stayed in my room was when she was 12! And it was because she read Cassie's book on famous Nibelheim horror stories! She wouldn't budge out of my room even if I used a crowbar!"

Rude remembered that episode. Shortly after she began reading, Meia once knocked on Reno's door, wanting to sleep in his room for the night because she was too scared to sleep alone. Reno didn't think too much about it and just made room for her. That was the first and last time Meia slept in Reno's room.

"Still…"

"I'll be able to catch my hours by tomorrow. No big deal." Reno shrugged. "Lunch?"

"Hmph." Rude grunted and followed his redhead partner out of the lounge, inwardly deciding against asking why Reno looked more than relieved to change the topic about Meia.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading!<p> 


	35. Wall Market

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 35 – Wall Market**

The lower plates of Midgar have never seen the blazing orange of a sunset, instead they were given the ghostly fluorescent glow of the blue Mako lights, the only source of light for the Midgar slums at night. Dressed in her Turk uniform, Meia stood along the streets linking Sector 5 and 6 together. She hesitated at the metal doors that will open to Wall Market. Her hesitation was due to her many childhood years spent in the very same location, with Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle. On one hand, her heart ached at the memories of her deceased friends. On the other hand…

_The people in Wall Market… How would they take it, now that they see me as a Turk?_

She clutched the head of her tie and thought. _They knew me for a long time, will they still be as friendly?_

She reached for the familiar button that will open the metal doors.

_One way to find out._

The metal doors creaked and groaned, but it swiftly slid open, revealing a large area full of commericial activity.

Everything was almost the same as she remembered. The Materia shop where she watched countless SOLDIER recruits browse for anything of their fancy, the occasional lumberjack who sold wood for the slums, the item shop that sold things too expensive and impractical for her little pocket then…

She smiled. Even the faces were the same, after 3 years… She quickly focused her mind on the task again. Tseng mentioned that Don Corneo resides in Wall Market, but in all of Meia's memory, she has never seen a house situated in the Wall Market.

_Whatever I'm seeing now… is really all to it. _She frowned at the surroundings. _How could there be a house here that I've never noticed?_

Meia took a deep breath and walked towards the Materia shop. "Hey, Brother Samuel." She smiled at the clerk wearing a navy blue shirt and khaki overalls.

When Samuel saw her face, he broke into a smile. "Meia!" He cried. "It's been a long time since I saw you-" He broke off as he recognized what she was wearing. "You… You are a Turk?" He glared at her.

Meia nodded slowly. "Yes, I am." She replied, her brain steeling itself for the worst.

"And you have the cheek to come back here?" He raised his voice at her. She cringed at the volume and her cheeks started to burn with embarrassment because he was attracting a lot of attention.

"Please, Brother Samuel," She asked softly. "Couldn't we talk in a peaceful manner? It's a little embarrassing." She admitted.

"Ho!" Samuel snorted. "Shinra lapdogs have a sense of shame too?"

Meia never wanted more than to find a place to hide in. "Brother Samuel…"

"Don't call me that, you piece of filth!" He spat back. "Gone were the days when you were Meia. Now, you're nothing but a bootlicker to the source of our problems."

Around her, Meia heard murmurs from the onlooking passers-by.

"She's a Turk?"

"Isn't that Meia, the little girl who disappeared after her friends died?"

"Yeah… the three kids, Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle. Used to help out in my shop…"

"She's a Turk now…"

"Is she here to chase us out of our livelihood?"

Her eyes stung from tears but she held them back. "I understand that you don't want to see me." She said. "But the Wall Market held significant memories to me and like you, there's no way I'll want to see this place go."

Samuel wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I have no more dealings with the Turks." He glared at Meia. "Get lost before I make you." He said nastily.

Drawing her lips into a thin line, Meia walked away. _Things will be a little harder to work with now. _She realized. After the commotion, nobody wanted to talk to her. They quickly turned away, or they ignored her questions for the whereabouts of Don Corneo._ Who is going to help me now? _She thought in despair.

Still she persevered for a breakthrough. Then she found a man who couldn't reject her constant badgering. "Fine! I give up!" He groaned. "What is it?"

Meia gave a wide smile. "Thank you so much!" She said. "I really appreciate it." She spoke in a lower tone. "I'm looking for Don Corneo."

He looked genuinely shocked by her request. "Why would you want to look for him?" He peered at her curiously. "Don't you know what… what he does?"

Fear of the unknown once again gripped her like a clamp. Swallowing the tightness in her chest, Meia ignored his gaze and answered. "He's a Don, isn't it? I… I know. I have to visit him no matter what. For some… matters."

The man shifted his eyes to the left and to the right, then he pulled Meia to a corner and pointed to a man standing just by the metal doors that led to the Sector 5 and 6 slums. "See that man over there? He's one of his lackeys. Go to him and say the word "Honeybee". He'll know what to do."

Meia stared at the man. "Are you sure? And how do you-" She turned back but the mysterious man was gone.

Meia stared at the empty space, wondering where he went. She decided against sitting on the topic and took a deep breath to calm her heart. Of course she was scared. She may be 14 going on 15, but she was not stupid. She knew perfectly about the… intimate things in life and how men used it to manipulate women. Meia trembled in spite of herself.

_I must not be scared._

That was the phrase that she kept chanting to herself, but the truth was, she was afraid. Terrified.

_What if they don't allow me to leave freely?_

"Don't be stupid!" Meia scolded herself. "You are fully equipped, you have the PHS with you. What harm can possibly happen?"

_I much rather be killed and mutilated by monsters than to have my virginity taken by…_

Meia squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the thoughts and the tears out of her mind. She hugged herself tight and there was only one thing, one person in her mind.

_I wanna go home… To Brother Reno._

She calmed down and straightened herself. She is a Turk.

_There is no mission that is too impossible for the Turks._

"… I can do it." She gave a quick sigh and walked straight towards the man with the grey vest at the entrance. The man glanced at her and her uniform but apart from that, paid no attention to her. Meia stared at him and said it loud for him to hear. "Honeybee."

The man flinched and stared at her. "Excuse me?" He asked.

Meia immediately felt stupid, but she persisted. "I'm looking for Mr. Honeybee." She said. "Could you bring me there?"

"Turk, I have no idea what you're talking about." He muttered to himself and began to walk away.

Meia pulled him back and placed her gun at his spine. "You know very well what I mean." She said coldly. "I have some business with Don Corneo and I suggest you bring me there before I put you in a wheelchair."

The man stopped struggling at her threats. "Hmph." He grunted with defeat. "Follow me." Meia followed him past the item shop. They ignored the calls of the clerk for perfume-making and walked ahead… towards a small door right next to the light giving an orange glow. (A/N: the door does exist! Can you guys find it?) "Right through the door is the walkway to the Don." He said.

Meia stared at the unassuming door. The man knocked on the door twice and within moments, the door opened, revealing a pathway. "You mean that there is a house hidden behind these walls?" She gaped at him.

"There are lots of secrets in the slums that Shinra scum aren't supposed to know." Was his final statement before he walked back.

Another man who was standing by the door raised his eyebrows at Meia, but said nothing. He merely gestured her to walk down the lit walkway.

"I can't believe that a crime lord's house is right behind…" Meia shook her head. "Amazing. Simply amazing."

The walkway was not long. Soon she found herself in the front porch of a mini mansion. Don Corneo's name was emblazoned across the main door. There were a few men lounging around the front yard.

She walked up to one of them. "I'm here to see Don Corneo." Meia said clearly and confidently.

_I… I must not be afraid._

One of the men barely glanced up. "What is it about?"

"I'm afraid it's confidential."

"Then I'm afraid that the boss is not free to speak to anyone." The lackey sneered. "Unless you're some smoking hot chick, I suggest you turn around and go back."

Meia was about to retort something when two guys appeared out of nowhere and nodded at her. Grabbing her arms, they dragged her protesting body down the walkway and out of the small door.

"Hey! Wait! I'm not done! Whoa!" She screamed as they flung her roughly onto the dirt floor. Passers-by stared at the scene, but none offered to help her when they saw her uniform.

Her back ached from the impact. She sat up and rubbed her spine. _Bunch of nitwits. _She scolded them in her head. _Looks like I can't get in unless I… _She shuddered at her idea and the possible consequences that it might bring.

She hugged herself and forced her mind not to wander. _I'm… I'm just scaring myself. _She thought in vain. Forcing her thoughts to focus on a more pressing matter, she stood up and brushed the dust off her uniform. If she wants to get into the mansion, she cannot look like this…

_Turks must be dressed in their uniforms at all times._ Tseng's voice boomed in her head.

_But my uniform is making my mission difficult._

Meia walked back to the Shinra HQ, her quick mind working on new devious plans.

_Time to play dress up._

* * *

><p>Cissnei raised her eyebrows at the little girl's request. "Makeup?" She asked.<p>

Meia gave a sheepish laugh and placed both her hands together. They were sitting in the Turks pantry and just seconds ago, Meia popped a strange question.

"Yeah, I need it for an assignment." Meia explained. "I can't look like… myself…"

"Why not?" Asked Cissnei, puzzled.

Meia held back her words a little. "The mission is in Wall Market." She said slowly. It was the truth, Cissnei doesn't have to find out the details of her assignment. "I can't do this, not with so many people who used to know me… A little disguise is required. Please, Sister Cissnei, you cannot tell this to anyone!" Meia looked a little sheepish. "I want to do this myself, you know?" She rubbed her wrists absent-mindedly. "I feel like Brother Veld and maybe Brother Tseng see me as a kid still. I… I want to do this well. It wouldn't be right if I still need help for the simple things." She shook her head and wrinkled her nose when one of her pigtails slapped her face.

_Meia… She has really grown up in her thinking. _Cissnei smiled to herself. Taking Meia's hand, she said seriously. "Alright."

The little Turk broke into a smile. "Thank you, Sister Cissnei!"

"In fact, we could get you a dress and maybe a wig… or some perfume…" Cissnei gave an unusual, mischievous smile. "If we want to play disguises, I say we do this well."

* * *

><p>Reno reached the Turk Lounge, fatigue filling every part of his body, especially on his back. It was a long day for him. Shortly after AVALANCHE fled from their base in Icicle Inn, Rude and himself travelled (by helicopter) to the nearest area, Bone Village, to interrogate people if they spotted any signs of AVALANCHE. The trip proved to be futile as no one saw any suspicious characters.<p>

"I need booze." Reno muttered to himself as he made his way to the refrigerator. His instincts picked up a figure running towards him but he was too fatigued to act quickly. Before he could reach for his EMR, he felt a pair of arms wrapped around him and he relaxed, knowing who it was. "Hey there, little Meia." He said wearily.

"Brother Reno." Was her quiet reply.

He suddenly tensed at the realization that she was hugging him. _Be natural! _He scolded himself. _You two have hugged each other so many times._

_It will never feel the same like before._

"What's the matter, yo?" Reno turned to face her and placed a hand on her head. Despite his internal struggle, he could still sense something amiss with his usually cheerful girl.

_Wait a minute… HIS girl?_

"… Nothing." She said softly, burying her head in his chest. "I just had a bad day."

Reno softened at her words. "We all have our bad days, huh?" He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "No worries, Big Ol' Reno is here to chase the bad people away!"

Meia was silent, only to hug him tighter. Reno wondered what happened today that made her unusually clingy.

Soon, Haato walked into the lounge. He raised his eyebrows at them. Reno frowned and Haato made a face as if to say that he didn't care. The katana-user soon walked out of the lounge.

Reno pressed his lips hesitatingly on her head. His heart was pumping fast, yet it felt as if it was the most natural thing to do at the moment. The closest contact he's made to her was to press his cheek against her hair, and even so it was many years ago, on the helipad with Meia (A/N: Refer to Chapter 6!).

"Remember when I said I'll be your family, Meia?" He asked, though he knew that she wouldn't forget. Meia nodded, her face rubbing in his chest as she did so. He felt his face turn a little warm. He can't be… blushing? No way! "I haven't forgotten that promise, Meia. Turks don't break promises, remember?" He said. "If you have any problems, you can come to me. I'll make sure that the baddies won't hurt you, okay?"

Her voice was muffled, but he heard her say, "Okay."

_What a child. _He thought to himself. _I never thought I'll ever become a babysitting nanny. Heck, I was never the sort of person to tolerate this… whiny and childish behaviour._

"Good girl," Reno cooed. "Let's go back to your room and if you need me, I'll be here till you fall asleep."

Meia nodded again and pulling away from the warm embrace, she took his hand and they walked out of the Turks lounge.

* * *

><p>23 January 0002<p>

In Meia's room, Cissnei stepped back and stared at Meia. "Wow." She said. "I never thought that with makeup, appearances can change so drastically." She reached over and tugged a lock of hair in place. "I've always thought that Marshall could look so different because he had magical fingers… or something." She ended with a mutter when she realized how stupid she sounded.

Meia shook her head. "Who would've thought Brother Marshall kept a handbook of his most handy disguise tricks? Good thing we looked through his stuffs a little." She checked her reflection in the mirror. "The wig from the Wall Market looks superb." She grinned.

"You don't look like yourself, for sure." Cissnei grinned back. "Ever thought of following Marshall's legacy and become a disguise master?"

Giggling, Meia replied. "If I can be as good as he is, why not?" She checked herself in the mirror. "I hope that this disguise works."

"You look pretty cool as a redhead." Cissnei grinned. "Why be a redhead?" She gave Meia a playful nudge. "So that you can look more… similar to a particular someone, huh?"

Meia flushed. "I don't wanna look like Brother Reno!"

"I didn't say you wanted to look like Reno." Replied Cissnei innocently… and Meia realised that she was tricked.

She covered her face with her hands as Cissnei chortled. "Sister Cissnei!" Meia exclaimed. "When did you find out?"

Cissnei sat down on Meia's bed. "Hmm…" She pondered. "Honestly, I'm not too sure myself." She tapped her forehead with a finger. "I didn't really pay much attention to you actually. I was more convinced that Reno's enamoured with you." She pinched Meia's pink cheeks.

Meia shook her head, clapping her hand on the pinched cheek. "Brother Reno doesn't like me," She said. "He likes…"

"Me?" Cissnei asked. Meia stared at her in surprise, but nodded, slowly. "Oh gosh!" She laughed. "Meia!" Cissnei felt her eyes wet from laughing so hard. "That's ridiculous!"

Meia looked miffed by her reaction. "But… But Brother Kido…"

"Oh, little Meia." Cissnei said affectionately and reached out her slender hand to hold Meia's hand. "You poor thing… You've been seeing Reno and I as a… How have you been holding your feelings inside all this time?" She cleared her throat and smiled warmly. "I admit, Reno and I, we used to be… you know, close." She nodded. "But Meia… nothing ever happened between us."

Meia sat on the bed with Cissnei. "… Really?" She asked tentatively.

Cissnei nodded. "Positive. I… it was clear that Reno wasn't sure of what he wanted, you see?" She sat further inside and allowed her feet to dangle off her bed. Her feet barely touched the floor. "He had a really… superficial outlook on life then. That was before he killed his first innocent."

"Alyssa…" Meia added in for her.

"You know he actually said that he likes me because I'm pretty?" Cissnei grinned. "Not on my character, or my personality, or even how efficient I worked. None of that. It's just… not what I'm looking for."

Meia nodded. "But Brother Reno isn't like that now, is he?"

"Yeah. I guess the year of hardships in the Turks shaped him up a little. That and that Rude brushed him down a little."

Meia knew that Cissnei meant it metaphorically, but she couldn't help but chuckle at the imagery of Rude taking a brush and combing through Reno's wild hair.

Cissnei patted Meia's head. "Reno's changed a lot in his first year as a rookie here. But his transformation truly began when you first came in." Meia stared at her and replied that she didn't understand what Cissnei meant. "Reno took you back into the Turks because he couldn't bear to leave you lying in Sector 4 for dead. He said that you were like a manifestation of his conscience."

"I'm a manifestation of his conscience?" Meia repeated. "That sounds… kinda like a horror movie."

Cissnei broke into a small smile. "You are important to him. Every aspect of you, your growing up, your safety meant a lot to him. Because he couldn't let himself lose this," She said and gestured at Meia. "This last piece of humanity that he has." She stared at her legs, swinging lazily from the edge of the bed. "That should explain why he is so over-protective to you."

The conclusion dawned on Meia like a light shining on a page of a book. She flushed. She knew that Reno treated her better than her other female peers, but she never knew the extent of his feelings towards her.

_Still, none of this held romantic intentions._ A very rational voice in her head put out all notions in her head.

"Sister Cissnei…"

"Hmm?"

"Reno said that he don't fall for his colleagues."

Cissnei laughed again. "Oh, THAT. Erm…" She smiled sheepishly. "After I rejected further advances from him, he came to me. Said that he understood that the reason why I ended the relationship was because I wanted to keep things in the workplace professional." She shook her head. "To think I said all those words to him and he caught none of it. Simple-minded fellow. I just laughed and pretended that it is so. It's an easier reason to deal with, in my opinion."

Meia listened intently to Cissnei's words, wondering what it all meant for her now. "So… Sister Cissnei," She asked with a small smile. "What kind of guys are you looking for?"

To her surprise, the tiniest blush appeared across Cissnei's cheeks. "Secret!" She said happily, placing a finger on her lips.

"You like somebody now?" Meia gasped. "Tell me!"

"Not telling you!" Cissnei chirped, jumping out of the bed gracefully and opening the door. "See ya!" She winked and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>24 January 0002<p>

Rod leant against the brickstone wall of the buildings in Sector 6, Upper Plate. His watch told him that it was only seven at night. The night was young and he certainly had the night off to enjoy himself. The past few days following the departure of Veld were hard for the Turks. Other than learning how to be self-sufficient for themselves, they still worked hard on hunting down the AVALANCHE members, who seemingly disappeared from their base when the SOLDIER troops and KK investigated the area.

_Now… I'm going to have some fun. _He smiled to himself. There were many girls that he could hook up with, as long as he's not wearing the Turk uniform. _I swear, that uniform is an anti-chick magnet. _

His sharp eyes picked up a petite redhead walking down the street, in his direction. Her short bob was stylishly cut, she wore a sand-coloured trench coat, scarlet heels and kept her head low. _That looks like a yummy treat for me._ He smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to approach.

As the woman approached, he placed a hand on the wall and said. "Hey, pretty girl." He smiled. "I'm kinda looking for someone to hang out with tonight, I was wondering if you are free."

She looked up and he noticed her bright hazel eyes. Her makeup was fresh and her cheeks glowed pink, he couldn't help but notice how clear her skin was.

"Really?" She smiled coyly at him. "I appreciate the invitation, but I'm sorry, I have other plans." She tucked her burnt-red hair behind her ears. "Another time, perhaps?"

Rod shrugged. "Too bad for me, I suppose you could leave your phone number…" He trailed off as he saw her bursting into laughter. He frowned. Was she laughing at him? Wait a minute… that laugh is familiar…

"MEIA?" He exclaimed.

The redhead laughed uncontrollably. "Oh my gosh, Brother Rod!" Was all she could choke out.

Rod was un-amused. "Meia, can you tell me what the hell is this for?" He gestured angrily at her getup.

"It's a disguise." She whispered. "The people in Wall Market recognize my appearance, so some disguise needs to be in order." She took a step back and grinned. "If you can't recognize me, I guess I can assume that my disguise is a success?"

"Tch." Rod took a step back. "For a moment I thought you were some smoking hot chick." He flushed as he realized who he was talking to. "Erm…" He said awkwardly. "To… you know? Have dinner with and-"

"I know, I know." She waved him off. "To hook up." Rod choked an embarrassed cough. "I know, you guys and your… exotic escapades. Still…" Meia broke into a smile. "I'm a smoking hot chick? Then my objective has been fulfilled." She waved. "See ya."

* * *

><p>Cissnei checked her watch. It was ten-thirty. "Meia…" She frowned to herself.<p>

"What about Meia?" Reno asked.

Cissnei jumped at Reno's voice. "Goodness!" She exclaimed. "You scared me!"

Reno frowned at her unusual behaviour. "What's with Meia?" The shruiken expert shook her head and said calmly that there was nothing to be worried about. "Don't give me that crap, Ciss!" He stared at her watch. "You mean, she's not in HQ? Where is she?"

Rude walked into the Turks Pantry and noticed the tension between the two redheads. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Ciss is keeping mum about Meia's whereabouts." Reno told him.

"She's on a solo mission. There's nothing to be worried about." Cissnei told them calmly. "According to Tseng, she hasn't called him to give updates."

"What?" Reno exclaimed. "When did she disappear? Who was she with?"

"She went alone. It's called a solo mission for a reason." Cissnei pointed out, narrowing her eyes at Reno. "She left in the early evening, so she should be back but…"

A lanky figure appeared at the doorway. "Damn it." Rod cursed. "It's like all the good luck disappeared after I saw Meia-"

He suddenly found himself almost nose to nose with Reno. Rod shoved him back roughly. "I'm not interested in guys." Rod said crossly.

Reno growled. "Stop fooling around."

"I'm not. What the heck are you pouncing on me for?" Rod glared at him.

"When did you see Meia?"

"Oh." Rod made an _of-course-Reno-would-look-angry_ face. "I saw her in Sector 6 Upper Plate. She said she was going for her assignment but she was erm…" He flushed as he remembered the embarrassing scene. "She was dressed like… Like…"

"Like what?" Reno demanded.

Cissnei released a sigh of frustration. "Meia is not dressed like a Turk. She said that in Wall Market the people will not cooperate with her if she wore her Turk uniform, so she disguised herself so that she could work on her mission in peace."

"Did you say Sector 6?" Rude turned to Rod, who nodded in response. "Didn't Don Corneo just move into that area months ago?"

Cissnei's eyes widened as she realized the implications.

"Son of a-" Reno left the pantry without completing his sentence.

"Reno!" Rude called out. He ran into the hallway. "I didn't say that she is checking on Corneo," He said, his voice echoing in the hallway. "I'm just-"

Reno barely turned to look at Rude. "I know. I'm not being rash here." He said hypocritically. "I'm going to ask Tseng what mission she was sent on." He pressed the elevator door and waited for the elevator to arrive, giving Rude time to catch up. Reno entered the elevator and Rude followed after.

"And if it is true that she was sent to check on Don Corneo?" Rude glanced at him through his sunglasses.

Reno's face darkened. "Then Corneo's in trouble."

The bald Turk groaned. "Be rational, Reno. It's not confirmed that she's in trouble. And you can't ask for a search party. Company protocol states that search parties are sent out only if the missing person has been gone for 12 hours."

"Yeah, but remember, company protocol doesn't apply to the Turks." Reno retorted. Rude was about to argue when he cut him off. "There won't be a need for a search party. I'll go pick her up from his mansion and when I'm there... Corneo better make sure that Meia is intact."

* * *

><p>Author's notes to be found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com<p>

Thank you for your love, messages and reviews. I'll be back with another chapter after 11th December!


	36. Embrace

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 36 – Embrace**

Her head was pounding when she felt consciousness again.

_What happened?_

_I remember that I've barely reached the doors of the Wall Market when… Ow!_

Meia groaned and felt the ache on the back of her neck.

_Someone knocked me out._

"Awake, my princess?" A male voice greeted her, chilling her to the spine. Meia looked up, her eyes focusing on a group of males in a room that she didn't recognize.

"…" She stared at the group of men who were smoking, gambling or just relaxing. As soon as the male voice spoke, the rest stopped whatever they were doing and stared at her.

_So… So many of them! _The thought loomed in her heart like a death sentence. _Ten… No, there are eleven of them! There's no way I can defeat them at once… _Her bound hands felt for her gun and bracelet… to find none. _And unarmed._ Her lower lip trembled.

"Look at the chick, she's basically petrified." One of them sneered.

She tried to speak, but her throat felt like it's stuck. The only sounds that she could make were whimpers but her helpless actions only seemed to interest the men more.

"This chick will be interesting to have."

"Such a pretty thing… And her skin…" Another one murmured, reaching forward and caressing her knee.

She cringed visibly at his touch, gasping. It was gentle, but nothing could describe the malicious intent that practically oozed from his touch. The man's grope was concrete confirmation that what Meia see in front of her is reality.

As if the physical contact triggered her throat, Meia finally found her voice to speak… and she screamed. Her throat muscles became taut with straining but she didn't care. She knew that screaming wouldn't help but she did so nevertheless. As her screams turned into shrieks, her tears ran down her cheeks endlessly. Her nose dripped but still she screamed.

"Argh! Keep quiet!" They reached for their guns but immediately another man held them back.

"Taping her mouth would be good enough." He said icily.

The other men grinned. "You're right, Pero. Ain't our leader for nothing."

"Wouldn't want to waste such a good creature by killing her." Another lackey added.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Meia shrieked, her eyeliner began to run from her tears, streaking her face. "WHERE AM I? WHO ARE YOU?"

Another man strode forward and gave her a resounding slap. "Shut yer mouth, whore." He spat. "You're lucky that you're taken in under the great Don Corneo."

"Easy with the hits, Pascal." Pero warned. "Boss still wants to take a look first."

Meia restrained from cringing at Pascal's vulgar name for her. _The_ _great Don Corneo? _She stared at them. _I'm… I'm in Don Corneo's hideout? Then these people must be his lackeys…_

_I must play this right. _She thought, her tears subsiding. Her heart was pounding with adrenaline. _I still have a fighting chance._

"I have business wi-" Suddenly, her face was grabbed roughly and a piece of stinky duct tape found its way over her mouth. "Omph." She protested but the duct tape did its job of sealing her mouth… and her last fighting chance.

Pero smirked. "Much quieter now, isn't it?" Meia could only respond by allowing her tears to fall.

The man who groped her knee earlier on seemed to be jumping on his knees in anticipation. "Pero, let me go at her first!"

"What the hell, Francis?" Another man argued. "You won't be using the girl right, you... Needle-phile!"

Meia tensed. _Aichmophile... _She thought, horrorified. If this man, Francis, truly has a compulsive obsession with sharp objects… he may be more dangerous than them all.

_What are you thinking, stupid girl? _She chided herself. _They are ALL dangerous._

"I say we need to leave her alone till boss says that he doesn't want her." The man who taped her mouth said. "We'll be in deep soup if he finds out that we had her before he did."

"You mean we'll be in HOT soup, Bennett." The young man next to him nudged him. Meia stared at the boy in horror, for he looked no older than herself. "We won't defile her but… a simple touch wouldn't hurt, would it?" Meia watched helplessly as the young man walked towards her. Her eyes pleaded with him but he only smirked in response. "Maybe a little… strip tease?" He suggested, rolling the strap of her dress down her shoulder.

The men hooted and whistled and Meia could no longer see clearly because her eyes were so full of tears.

_Somebody… save me._

"Ryder, you are learning fast!" Bennett snorted. "Soon, you'll be fighting with us for women, huh?" The other men laughed, except for Francis. "We're drawing lots, you know the standard procedure!"

"No!" Francis roared. He ran forward and pushed Ryder aside. "This woman is mine!" He grabbed Meia by her throat and she choked in surprise. "She is different from the other girls. I want her first!"

"Francis…" Pero said slowly. "Release her… We need her for boss' inspection later." Pero glanced at his men knowingly. "If he doesn't like her, then you can have her and do whatever you like… alright?" He reached out a hand. "Just… return me the girl."

Meia felt herself being tossed onto the floor. She coughed uncomfortably, not being able to exhale out of her taped mouth.

"Hoo boy…" Pascal whistled and picked Meia up by her arm, not caring if his roughness hurt her. "You're hot property, aren't you, babe?" He caressed her cheek with his finger, but didn't mind when she pulled her face away from his touch. "Your bedding skills better be worth fighting for."

Suddenly, everything happened so fast, but Meia seemed to see it happen in slow motion. She first saw the wall disappear into a white puff of sand, then the deafening sound of a detonation.

"What was that?" They cried. Meia turned and stared at the gaping hole in the wall hopefully. _Could it really… be?_

The smoke cleared, revealing Rude. He scanned the room, analyzing the situation before he noticed Meia and her disguise. "Meia?" He asked, frowning. Meia nodded happily. Rude turned behind and grunted. Moments later, a mass of scarlet hair appeared at the broken wall. Meia had never been happier to see Reno. Reno too, scanned the room with an emotionless expression. However, he did not possess the inner calmness that Rude mastered. His cool exterior was cracking with the possibilities of what could've happened.

Reno turned to Rude. "Where is she?" He asked impatiently. Rude placed a palm unto his face and pointed at Meia. Reno's head whipped around at the pointed direction and raised his eyebrows, seeing her getup. Reno walked towards Meia and pulled the duct tape off her mouth gently. "Meia…" He uttered at the sight of the disguise. "Let me get the ropes off…"

As he reached for the ropes, Meia saw from the corner of her eye Ryder stepping forward to stop Reno, but Pero held him back, saying a few words to him. Meia saw that Ryder's eyes widened and immediately stepped back. Nobody else moved an inch in the presence of the black suits.

The last bits of rope fell. "Brother Reno…" Meia said, throwing her arms around his neck gladly, allowing his smell of fresh laundry overwhelm her mind. He patted her back and gently peeled her away from his embrace.

Walking over to the nearest man (who happened to be Pascal), Reno grabbed him by his collar and growled. "You dare to even lay a finger on our Turk?"

"T-t-t-turk?" Pascal stuttered.

"She's a Turk?" Pero stared at Meia.

"Damn right she is, you piece of scum!" Reno threw Pascal across the room and before he could recover on his feet, Reno was in front of him. He smashed Pascal's face with his shoe and glared at the rest of the lackeys. "Who has been funding your boss so that you can enjoy your food, your career, your life?"

The room fell silent at his words.

"You guys sure are in trouble." Kido said casually, leaning against the jagged wall and pulling a cigarette from his pocket.

"Kido?" Pero exclaimed.

Rude stared at Kido. "Your colleagues?"

Kido took a long puff and exhaled. "Used to."

"Pero!" One of the minions yelled. "It's us eleven versus the four of them! They don't stand a cha-"

"Shut your trap, Horace!" Pero yelled back. "Have you guys been smoking so much pot that you don't recognize who they are?"

Reno broke into a menancing grin. "You do well to listen to your leader, you worthless scumbags. When he say 'release her'…" He increased the pressure of his foot on Pascal's head till the lackey screamed with terror. He looked at Pascalin the eye and said slowly. "You jolly well-"

"Reno, stop!" Meia cried out. "You'll kill-"

Pascal's skull cracked with a sickening sound. Meia quickly looked away so that she won't see. The men in the room gasped, some couldn't handle the brutality and gagged.

"You are in luck," Reno said, smirking. "I'm in a pretty bad mood today… and I could use some exercise." Meia looked at Rude in horror but the bald Turk looked nonchalant, as if Reno did this regularly. "Well now…" Reno stepped over the dead body, wiping the fluids that were splattered on his trousers off Pascal's clothing nonchalantly. "What should I do to give you a taste of what you deserve?"

"Reno…" Rude warned, but Reno didn't notice.

"Should I break your thumb? Burn your fingers one by one? Numb your tongue with my EMR?" He smiled almost demonically at the petrified men. "Tut tut tut… So many choices to make."

"Hey bro… it's just a misunderstanding!" Pero tried to sound diplomatic and in control, but the fear in his voice gives him away. He stared at Kido. "Kido, please! Tell your colleague to stop!"

Kido took another puff of his cigarette. "I'm only here to say hi." He stated passively.

"Reno…" Meia called him, but he made no response. "Reno… Oh Cetra, please don't make him do this." She begged to no one in particular.

Reno stretched his fingers playfully. "Maybe I should-"

"Reno." Rude said, but his voice was tense and full of warning. "We have to report back before we get found out."

"What happened down here, Pero?" An unfamiliar voice was heard in the distance.

_Too late!_ Meia thought fearfully.

As Meia turned to look at the source of the voice, she saw a middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the room. "T-t-t-turks?" The man exclaimed fearfully upon recognizing their uniform.

Meia took a good look at him. The short and stout man was dressed luxuriously but in a very distasteful manner. His oily blond hair (or lack thereof) was slicked with gel and in his mouth, a roll of cheap cigar hung from the side of his mouth.

"Don Corneo." Kido greeted lightly.

_THAT'S Don Corneo? _She stared at him in disbelief. _One of the largest crimelords in Midgar is… this? If anything, he looks like a dweeb._ She thought. There was nothing emanating from this man that tells Meia of his ferocity in the slums. _But well, looks can be deceiving. _She argued to herself.

"Ooh, Kido!" Don Corneo jumped when he saw him. "It's been a while… The last time I saw you, you called me 'boss'."

"I'm no longer under your command." Kido pointed out. "I see that your foolish ways are doing you good."

Meia was reminded of the time when Kido briefly mentioned Don Corneo (A/N: refer to Chapter 16 if in doubt!). He said to flee from his boss as far as possible. Still, she couldn't see anything malicious from this man.

Don Corneo twitched his head left to right, as if in resignation. "Yes, I am doing well, you're the foolish one who wanted to leave my syndicate. It has been… 5 years?" The tall man made no reply and Don Corneo made a face. "Still silent… but of course, that's the way you've always worked." Don Corneo now faced his men. "What is the meaning of this? Why are the Turks here?"

The men glanced at each other fearfully.

"You're Don Corneo?" Reno stared at him condescendingly.

Meia noticed that Don Corneo twitched ever so slightly whenever Shinra-related people or matters were involved. _What kind of terror does Shinra display over Midga-_

Don Corneo straightened himself a little, which didn't do much. Compared to Reno's lanky figure and Rude's imposing height, his short stature was anything but intimidating. "I am Don Corneo." He answered. "May I ask what are Shinra Turks doing in my humble abode at such a late hour?" He asked, a little respectfully.

Jerking a thumb at Meia, Reno asked, "Do you know who is this woman?"

It was then that Don Corneo finally saw Meia at the corner, half-dressed. "Oooh! What a beautiful woman!" He said, clapping his hands together. "I'd love to-"

His words were cut off when Reno's EMR prodded his shoulder. "She's a Turk." Reno answered for Corneo. "Your lackeys mistook her for a whore and brought her here."

Don Corneo's eyes widened as he realized the situation. "I..." He turned to the lackeys. "You imbeciles! Of all people to scout for, you found a Turk! Who is the idiot who took her here?"

"Ostin did." One of his men replied.

"Bring him here!" Corneo barked, flailing his arms desperately. The men hurriedly ran, glad to leave the tension-filled room. Meia saw Don Corneo appeasing to Reno and Rude's moods, asking if they would like a seat while he "gets to the bottom of this".

No matter how she perceived the underworld boss, she could not see past his clumsy and boisterous actions. _There's no way a crimelord has such a flimsy character._ She argued with herself. Yet, his men stood ever so still in Corneo's presence, as if the slightest movement can trigger a terrible consequence.

Soon, Meia heard voices again and as she lifted her face to see the man who knocked her unconscious, she gasped at the familiar face. "You!" She cried out.

The men, whom the others called Ostin, looked genuinely surprised. "Excuse me, miss?"

Meia tore her wig from her head and exclaimed. "You were the one who directed me to Don Corneo's mansion! Remember? 'Honeybee'?" She gritted her teeth. "You knew I was a Turk!"

Ostin stared at Don Corneo's questioning look. "I swear, boss!" He cried fearfully. "I didn't recognize her! She was wearing the Turk uniform when I pointed out the mansion."

"I had to don a disguise to infiltrate your mansion because your lackeys wouldn't let me in." Meia retorted.

Don Corneo frowned at Pero, who bowed and left the room. Pero soon returned with two men and asked Meia if they were the men who didn't recognize the Turk uniform. Meia nodded tentatively. She had a bad feeling about them.

"Look, old man, are you going to do something or not?" Reno cut in impatiently. He had no time, neither was he in the mood to listen to Corneo lecture. "If not I'll-"

His words were interrupted when Don Corneo whipped out an old-fashioned barrel gun and shot the men dead. Meia widened her eyes at the emotionless determination behind Don Corneo's actions. _He… he didn't even give the men a chance to explain…_ She shivered at the thought of how easily a life can be extinguished.

"I hope you're happy, Mr. Turk." Don Corneo glanced at Reno calmly. Reno shrugged and retracted his EMR, though his finger remained at the button to activate it again should there be surprises.

"Don Corneo." Meia said, standing up to look at the man levelly. "I'm Meia, a Turk from Shinra." She cleared her throat. "In light of tonight's events, you are doomed to die for abducting an employee of Shinra."

Don Corneo cried out. "Please don't kill me!" He raised his hands in surrender.

Meia stared at him, feeling very puzzled at his actions. _How can someone be such a dweeb yet… _She thought about the merciless expression briefly shown on the man who killed his two men in cold blood. _Yet so dangerous?_

She held a hand out. "I will not kill you." She frowned. "I came here to ask for an audience with you. But I suppose tonight is no longer a good opportunity." She rubbed her arms self-consciously. "I WILL meet you at another time. I expect that I won't need to wear this atrocious attire in order to see you." She picked at her dress. "You WILL attend to Shinra's appointment set for you, will you not?" She asked calmly, emphasizing at certain parts.

"Yes, of course of course…" Don Corneo rubbed his hands together. "Shinra employees to my mansion are always _important visitors_." He emphasized the last two words quietly, giving a sideway glance at his men.

Meia nodded. "Thank you."

"Not so fast." Reno grabbed Meia by her hand and pulled her to his side. "You're just going to let him go like this?" He asked of Meia. "His men tried to…" He trailed off because he didn't know what exactly Don Corneo's men did. He didn't want to say the wrong things on such a sensitive matter.

"It's fine. Nothing happened. It's just a kidnapping misunderstood." Meia said firmly. "I need Don Corneo in the future. I hope he cooperates with Shinra. If not…" She made a note to give a long and hard stare at the crimelord. "He'll have consequences ten times worse than today."

Don Corneo squealed in terror. "Yes. I understand." He stuttered. "Allow me to walk you out?"

"That wouldn't be necessary." Rude cut in. He pushed his sunglasses at them and led the other three Turks out… from the gaping hole in the wall.

* * *

><p>They left the mansion, unharmed by Don Corneo. Reno held onto her hand so tightly, it scared her.<p>

"Reno…" She cried. "It hurts!" She tried to pull her hand away but he refused to let go.

He walked to the car and took out a towel. "Wipe your face." He said coldly. Meia obediently did so, glad that the makeup was coming off. However, Reno's anger wasn't ebbing. "Why in the wildest dimensions of your stupid imagination," He yelled and Meia flinched at his words. "Would you want to go to that pervert's mansion NOT dressed in a Turk uniform?"

"Excuse me?" She retorted back. "They wouldn't let me in unless I was some eff-ing hot chick! They threw me out of the house before I could do anything!"

"You could've gotten back to Tseng and told him!" Reno argued back. "He would've helped you set the appointment. That is under the contract between Shinra and Don Corneo!"

Meia stared at him. Does he have any emotions or the slightest bit of common sense? How could he scold her like that, after that terrifying experience? "Tseng said nothing of that sort!" She yelled back, but her pitch was getting higher and higher. "I don't want to go to him for help. I wanted to do something right, for once!"

"Good intentions, terrible timing!" Reno argued back. "If you want to do something good, the very least you can do is stay out of trouble!"

Rude placed a hand on Reno's shoulder. "Enough." Rude said. "Meia has gone through enough for the day. You can scold her another time."

It seemed like finally Reno came back to his senses. He released her wrist, now almost purple from his tight grip. She flung her hand from his touch and rubbed her sore wrist. "Meia…?" He asked gently.

Meia glared at Reno. "Let's go, Brother Rude." She said icily.

"Meia…" Reno's hard voice broke at her reaction but she walked ahead.

She was glad that she didn't suffer serious injuries. Whatever terror she had in her heart was momentarily overwhelmed by her anger… and sadness.

_It's the first time I'm quarreling with Brother Reno… Really quarreling._

"Get inside the car." Rude said, opening the back door for her.

"I'm walking back to HQ." Meia shot back.

Rude stared at Meia. "I'm not in the mood to play games with you." He said, his warning tone making up for his words.

Meia bit her lip and sullenly crawled into the company car. Reno sat at the back as well, but neither spoke a word in the journey back to the Shinra HQ.

* * *

><p>At the Shinra lobby, Meia excused herself and entered the elevator first. "If it's fine with you…" Meia looked at Kido.<p>

"I'll inform Tseng that you'll meet him tomorrow." Was the man's reply. Meia nodded and the elevators doors closed.

Reno turned to Rude and said quietly. "I'll talk to Tseng tomorrow."

Rude frowned. "Tseng's debrief…"

"Tell Tseng that his debrief can wait." Reno walked towards the main doors again.

"Reno," Rude grunted. "Are you going to climb all the way up?"

"Need the exercise." Was his curt reply before he disappeared between the doors, where the staircase, leading straight up to Floor 59, is located. Reno would have to take the lift back down to the Turk floors again, but he could use the exercise.

Kido glanced at Rude. "Reno vents his emotions by climbing stairs?"

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose. "He doesn't like elevators. And the long staircase is quiet, good for reflection. No problems with that." He walked into the elevator and held the door for Kido. "Tseng isn't going to be happy with Reno." Rude sighed inwardly. "Reno just can't sit through the debrief and get it over and done with, can he?"

Kido glanced out of the full-length glass windows, overlooking the city below. "Reno and Meia won't give a care about anything else until they reconcile." He smirked. "In a way, they are quite compatible."

* * *

><p><em>I'm… I'm saved.<em>

Meia gingerly washed her shoulder, the one that was touched by Ryder earlier on.

_I am lucky, considering that there are worse possibilities when being captured by a bunch of pervertic hounds._

She rubbed her knee, touched by Francis and gave it an extra good scrub.

_If it wasn't for Brother Rude, Brother Reno and Brother Kido... Maybe I'll really be in deep trouble. _

_Brother Reno..._

Meia stepped out of the shower and changed into her pajamas. Then, she fell back onto her bed, suddenly feeling insecure even in her blanket.

Faced with her fears alone, Meia suddenly wished that she didn't quarrel with Reno. Her ordeal was terrifying, but the people concerned for her safety must be more frantic about finding her.

Meia suddenly remembered an incident when Sunny quarreled with Carmelle. She could still remember every detail. There was a period in time, mere weeks before their deaths, that Carmelle was waitressing in a Wall Market bar. Sunny didn't like how she would return to their pavilion-home in the wee hours of the morning. He'd often show his displeasure but stay up nevertheless until she reached home.

When Carmelle didn't return at the usual time one night, Meia awoke, hearing voices belonging to Tihan and Sunny. Sunny hot-headedly insisted on going out to find Carmelle, despite Tihan's attempts to calm him down. Sunny ran out into the darkness, calling out Carmelle's name.

When Carmelle did return, an hour later, she was being carried in by Sunny, his face taut with seriousness. She was attacked by a Hellhouse on her way home and was badly injured. Meia saw Sunny calmly knocking on houses and waking sleepy residents to ask for a potion. Then, while Carmelle sipped on the weak potion and Meia did the bandages, Sunny scolded Carmelle. Brutally. Meia never saw the good-natured Sunny in such fury and she flinched at the sight of him being like so. Carmelle looked visibly hurt, but she did not argue, as if she understood why he was so upset, more than she was with her own predicament.

The next day, Carmelle quit the waitressing job. Nothing more was said after that, but Meia will never forget the look on Sunny's face when he was searching for Carmelle: A look that tried to subdue its own emotions by hiding it behind an unusually stoic face. A calm, cool exterior that's on the verge of breaking and revealing his true anxiety for Carmelle's safety.

The exact look that she saw in Reno when he brought her out of Don Corneo's mansion.

… _Brother Reno!_

She jumped out of her bed and reached for the door handle. The door opened fully and to her surprise, she saw Reno pacing outside her room. Reno jumped as the door swung open, but before Meia could say a word, he strode inside and closed the door behind him.

"What are you-" Her words were cut off as Reno pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Meia… Please don't do stupid things like that anymore." Reno spoke into her ear, sending the biggest shivers down her spine. His shirt stank and was damp with perspiration. From the force of his arms around her shoulders and his hand pushing her head closer to his chest, she sensed how upset Reno was.

_Brother Reno… Has he been pacing outside my room for a long time?_ Meia closed her eyes and sighed softly in relief. _So Brother Reno is not truly angry-angry, more Sunny-angry_.

"I'm sorry." Meia said softly. "I'm sorry for yelling at you when you are worried for my safety."

"... Me too." Reno replied, surprising Meia again. Reno can be quite prideful so apologizing is not something he does often.

Out of relief, her eyes teared at the understanding that their friendship is reconciled. Meia couldn't see the expression on his face, because he was hugging her so tightly. "Brother Reno…" Was all she said before her voice cracked and she found herself crying uncontrollably.

"Meia." Said Reno in a tone that was neither reproachful nor amused. "I guess what you went through must've been messed up but... You are a Turk. Is there a need to cry like that?" He pulled her away and thumbed the tears that were rolling down her face.

Meia flushed at her immature actions. "I know, Brother Reno." She said sheepishly. "I'm not crying because of what happened in Don Corneo's mansion. I'm crying because I'm relieved that we're not quarrelling anymore."

The expression on Reno's softened briefly, then he frowned. "You weirdo. Wipe your tears, we're not quarreling."

"I know that it's stupid to cry," She rambled on. "I'm just..." Meia sniffled. "More than relieved." She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "And in case you are wondering, nothing happened to me in Don Corneo's mansion." Meia shivered at the thought. "It's just that when I thought about how close I was to being..." Meia ended by bursting into tears again.

An image of Reno's disapproving glance at her crying (right after he said not to) burned in her mind. However, instead of reproach, she felt Reno's arms wrap around her again and she willingly reciprocated. All she could register was his comforting smell (albeit a little sweaty), her wet tears on his t-shirt and his firm arms around her.

_Please… Don't let me go yet. _She wished in her heart. As if Reno could hear her thoughts, he patted her head rhythmically and gently as she continued crying. Soon, her sobs subsided and a long but comfortable silence fell between them.

Reno was the one who broke the silence. "Meia…" Meia heard him say. "Do you know how important you are to me?"

Her heart fluttered. Hearing it from Reno was a lot different from hearing it from Cissnei, possibly from anyone else. Even if the words contained no romantic connotations. She wrapped her arms tighter around the redhead's chest. "Yeah, I know, Brother Reno." She murmured into his shirt. "Sister Cissnei told me about it."

Reno was silent for a while. Then he ruffled her hair. "You can't die, you hear me?" His voice was almost commanding. "This is an order from your superior. If you are hurt, or if you die… Who am I going to bring to the Chocobo Ranch?"

She could imagine him grinning as he said that and she smiled. "That's right," She said. "A Turk mustn't break his promises, especially pinky promises."

"… Good that you know." Reno murmured, stroking her hair.

"… And thank you for rescuing me…" Meia murmured. "And the embrace."

Meia could've sworn she heard Reno mutter in the softest voice that she never knew Reno could muster. "It's all yours."

* * *

><p>Here you go! The long-overdue chapter! I've just finished my "Moves Like Jagger" story! To those who have not read it, give it a try =)<p>

More author's notes in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com  
>[for some reason, explained in my blog, I would much rather change the content in my chapter into something else. So yeah, check it out :P]<p>

Thank you for your endless support! Do read and review!


	37. Heidegger

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 37 – Heidegger**

1 February 0002, 1700 hours

While Leia was back home in Icicle Inn, her mother, a willowy woman of sixty, fussed about Leia so much that she could hardly find time to herself. Not that she minded, it was the first time she returned home since she first entered Shinra more than three years ago. Leia was tied down with the responsibilities of a Turk and didn't have time to return home in the Northern Continent, unlike her other colleagues who lived not more than a few hours away from Midgar. Finally, her opportunity came when Tseng offered her a long-overdue vacation. Three weeks away from Shinra and being a Turk, Leia thought that her long-deserved break could replenish her energy.

Shortly after her ad-hoc mission to save Meia and KK from the AVALANCHE base a few hours from her town, she received a short but direct message from Haato on Veld's departure. Since then, Leia could barely enjoy her holiday. A dozen questions filled her mind and what frustrated her most was that she couldn't get the full answers that she needed. Haato did his best to answer her questions but Leia didn't pursue the questions further. She would much rather get her questions answered face-to-face, when she returned.

Now, summoned together with Tseng, Reno and Rude, Leia paced in the Turks Lounge anxiously, wondering why their new head specifically chose to meet them first. The air was tense and none of them spoke. Then Leia broke the silence by asking if they could just go on without Veld.

Reno stared at her emotionlessly. "… We're under the command of one of the department heads."

"Department heads…" Leia repeated. She already didn't like the sound of this.

Sighing, Tseng explained. "We're to follow the orders of whoever is placed in charge of us. That's all there is to it. It doesn't matter who it is."

Leia fell silent at his words. Usually she didn't mind leadership change, as long as the organisation is improving and moving in a good direction.

"Gya haa haaaa!" The laugh echoed before the figure appeared at the doorway.

Leia stared at the newcomer. _Good Gaia._ She groaned inwardly. _Anyone but him…! _She peeked at the rest. The other three Turks looked unruffled, though Leia knew better.

Heidegger walked in. He was well-built man with a well-grown beard and a well-known (awful) reputation to match. "Good. You're all here." He paced a little in front of them. "From this day on, I'm in charge of you lot." Not waiting for their response, Heidegger continued. "You've been nothing but trouble from the start. I'd say your old boss couldn't keep you in line."

Leia inwardly was thankful that Meia was not here. She couldn't imagine the catastrophe that will follow after if quick-tempered Meia heard Heidegger slander Veld's name.

The head of Public Safety Maintenance cleared his throat in a self-dignified manner. "Things will be different under MY leadership. It's not for nothing I'm in charge of the Public Safety Maintenance Department."

Reno snorted, which quickly turned into a cough. Leia raised an eyebrow at him in amusement and Reno narrowed his eyes at her. _Even our professional Reno couldn't hold his pokerface. The dislike is obvious._

Heidegger was still talking. "… Your orders." Leia straightened up and listened to his instructions. "It appears that AVALANCHE is heading for Junon. I want all of you to patrol the city. If there's anything suspicious, let me know immediately. I'll call on the army to take over from there."

_What?_

"Yes sir." Leia replied, her heart feeling sore at his decision.

Heidegger was not done. "The army will take care of anything that happens in Junon, but I can't deploy them if there isn't a reason to." Tseng looked as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed his saliva and stared ahead. "I want the troops to get out there as quickly as possible. I don't want to hear any complaining – that's all you Turks are good for, anyway." He ended with a disgusting smile.

Leia heard some shuffling and from the corner of her eye, she saw Rude holding Reno back with a hand. In three words, Reno is pissed.

_Heidegger is not interested in using us?_

With that maniacal horse laugh, Heidegger left the lounge.

* * *

><p>1720 hours<p>

Shortly after he met the four Turks due for Junon, Heidegger gathered the remaining nine Turks in his office, where he simply told them to 'stay out of his way'.

"He'd do best to stay out of our way." Rod mumbled when they left the conference room. "I see why he's so disliked among everyone. There's nothing lovable in that hairy face of his."

Meia giggled despite the dreadful atmosphere. "Brother Rod, you better not let him hear that!" She pulled him towards the elevator. "I'm going to the lounge to send the Junon team off, wanna come?" Rod shrugged and followed her.

In the lounge, Meia stared at Rude, Reno and Leia getting ready. She absent-mindedly drew circles on the floor with her toe. "Just the four of you to Junon?" She asked quietly. Reno didn't reply, he only adjusted his goggles and checked his equipment. She pursed her lips and looked around. "Where's Brother Tseng?"

Leia nodded and replied, "Yep. Just the four of us. Tseng will be back soon." Glancing at Reno, she added. "Reno is still a little sore from the meeting."

"That asshole thinks that we're useless!" Reno hissed.

"… We'll do our jobs and prove him wrong." Rude cut in calmly.

Rod scoffed. "Trust Rude to see situations in such an objective light."

"That doesn't mean that he doesn't agree with me." Reno quipped.

Tseng walked into the Turks Lounge, his face solemn. "Brother Tseng?" Meia asked.

"Veld is not budging." He said to them. "I tried to tell him to appeal to President Shinra, but he won't listen."

Reno shrugged. "Boss has his own orders to listen to, yo." He said stoically.

"The information leak wasn't his fault." Rod argued.

Tseng pushed a stray strand of hair behind. "Veld said that the information on SOLDIER whereabouts is confidential. It is revealed only to the Turks and the higher executives."

"Still…" Meia glanced at Tseng. "It's unfair treatment. Brother Veld is being punished for something he didn't do, and Mr. Heidegger is not treating us with… enough… respect." She flushed. "I apologise for such disrespectful words." She kept her head down, for it was Tseng who often taught her the hard way of behaving appropriately and not emotionally in certain situations. The leader of the Turks frowned at Meia but merely waved her words off. Meia tried to hide a smile at the thought that Tseng was not too bothered by her comments on Heidegger. She rubbed her chin with a finger. "Isn't it strange that AVALANCHE could get hold of SOLDIER whereabouts?" She thought hard when she piped, "Cassie..."

Reno perked a little and stared at her. "What about her?"

"... I just remembered that I need to return her the book that she lent me a few weeks ago." She grinned.

"What a random thought." Reno scoffed. "Utterly unrelated."

Tseng looked at Meia and raised his eyebrows. Meia flushed and gave an apologetic smile. Truth was, in June last year, Cassie was given a mission to protect a scientist containing a data disc containing information on SOLDIER. Her mission failed and the disc landed in the hands of AVALANCHE. Only Tseng and Veld knew officially. Meia well... She was the only one who remembered the details of every mission that each Turk took, and pieced two and two together.

She stared at the floor, thinking back on the events that happened shortly after Veld was transferred to another department...

_Meia barged into Tseng's space, where his desk was at._

"_May I help you, Meia?" The solemn Turk looked at her quizzically._

"_... Cassie." She said softly._

_Tseng frowned at her unclear motive. "What about her?"_

"_She... The mission on 28__th__ June 0001..." Meia listed the mission details perfectly as if she was the one executing the mission herself. "Sister Cassie was protecting a disc containing SOLDIER information... right?" She stared at Tseng, realisation barely masked on her face. "We never asked if the mission was a success... we never asked any Turk that question because it was taken for granted that every mission we embark on must be a success." She placed her hands on the table. "She... Did that mission have anything to do with the information leak?"_

_Tseng pinched the area between his eyebrows at her words. "I forget how nosy you are." He said with an air of resignation. "... This information is only made known to Veld and myself."_

_Meia beamed at the news. "Then let us tell President Shinra about this! Then it wouldn't be Brother Veld's fault that the information is leaked!"_

"_But did you realise what the consequences may lead to?" _

_Meia thought for a brief moment and somewhere in her brain clicked a terrifying truth. "... Sister Cassie will be killed."_

_Nodding, Tseng added. "President Shinra isn't so willing to kill Veld because he has served the company for many years and has knowledge that makes him indispensible..." He folded his arms and said, "I doubt I can say the same for Cassie."_

"_But... But Brother Veld-"_

"_Veld can take care of himself. We need to take care of ourselves first. Besides, there was information in AVALANCHE'S hands that were not in the disk... It's likely that Cassie is not to blame for the information leak." Tseng pursed his lips into a tight line. "Whatever discussion we have here... didn't happen." _

"Alrighty then." Reno's dead voice broke Meia's train of thoughts. "Chopper's waiting." He beckoned the three of them to the elevator. As they entered, he yawned. "Junon can't get any more exciting than this." He said with a flat tone.

"Come back safely." Meia waved, but only Leia managed to wave back before the elevator doors closed, leaving Rod and Meia at the lift lobby of Floor 56.

Rod turned to Meia. "Well, I'm free now so I'm gonna head back and slee-" He was interrupted by messages from both their PHSes.

Meia reached for her PHS and she checked her mail. It was from Mason: Meet in the lounge in 10 minutes' time. Orders from Heidegger… And you aren't going to like it.

"Ah hell." Both of them cursed simultaneously.

* * *

><p>Lower Junon, 1815 hours<p>

The streets of Junon looked drenched with orange paint as the setting sun shone its refracted rays on the port city. Stopping at an alleyway, Reno checked for signs of activity. Once he ensured that it was safe, he dialed a new number… to Heidegger. "Reno here. I'm in Lower Junon."

Reno must admit that he wasn't used to hearing Heidegger's voice over the phone. "Patrol the area. That's all I want you do to." He said.

"Wai – Is that it?" He dropped his jaw at his instructions.

"What? Do you have a problem?"

Reno bit his lower lip and took a few deep breaths to regulate his emotions again. "… Nothing in particular."

"If there's any trouble, call me immediately so I can release the troops. Gya haa haa!"

As he hung up, Reno slapped his forehead. _Oh, geez. This guy can't be serious._ He thought. He flipped his PHS shut and tapped his shoulder with his EMR. _Was the disgusting laugh even necessary?_

* * *

><p>Right Junon, 1820 hours<p>

Rude glanced at his quiet surroundings and tugged at his gloves. For once he felt that there was no need to report to his new leader, but orders are orders. He flipped open his PHS and dialed the number to Heidegger's office. "This is Rude. I've reached R-Junon."

Rude thought that Heidegger's voice sounded a little bored. "You stay there and patrol the area."

_I bet Reno must be tearing his hair out from the boredom. _He thought.

"Hey!" Heidegger yelled rudely. "Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you."

"Call me if you find anything suspicious."

_Veld never had any problems with my silence._ Rude frowned.

"… Yes sir."

Rude flipped his PHS shut before he risked the chance of hearing the annoying laugh.

* * *

><p>"I… swear…" Rod cursed under his breath. "If I'm immune to punishment, I'll kill Heidegger a hundred times over."<p>

Meia shook her head. "The task is not so bad." She whispered to him.

"Are you kidding me?" Rod stared at her. "I'm a rookie (though being in the Turks for a year hardly counts as one), but I know very well the quality of jobs and special assignments that only the Turks get to do." Rod mumbled at his clipboard. "Helping scientists run tests on the SOLDIERS is NOT one of them."

Metres away, Alana glanced at Rod's empty report. "Please do not be distracted by your complaints, Rod." She said politely, though her tone was dry and displeased as well. "If the Turks are given a job, we do it. No matter how dirty, how mundane it is."

"Beats what the rest are doing now, isn't it?" Meia tried to offer the brighter side of the situation. At least they are able to watch countless SOLDIER fight against simulated monsters. _More brain food for me._ She thought gleefully, observing how easily they adapt to environmental changes and the different physical features of the monsters.

The rest of the Turks were sent to the Shinra libraries and archives to sort and organize material. The Turk Archives has always been meticulously arranged and sorted out, thanks to Leia's minor clean-streak. Once in a while, Leia would gather Meia and KK to the Archives and they would spend a day returning papers and files to their respective places. _I suppose the other deapartments aren't as efficient as us._

"This is preposterous." Rod complained. "I didn't become a Turk to do administration. Heidegger is taunting our existence."

"Not surprising." An arrogant voice spoke behind them. They turned to face some SOLDIER 2nd Class who just exited the modulation room. "The Turks are pretty useless, if you were to ask me. Maybe just that they look nice in their suits." They grinned crudely as they checked out Alana.

Alana turned back to her report and ignored their crass advances, but Rod didn't take it too well in his stride. He stood up and challenged them to repeat what they said. "Brother Rod!" Meia exclaimed.

"I said, I challenge you to say that again." Rod repeated, his voice low and threatening.

"What's the meaning of this?" Professor Timothy stepped in. "I do not tolerate violence in my lab. Bring your noise outside."

"With pleasure." Rod glared at them. Throwing his clipboard onto the floor, he walked out. Meia stared at Alana for help, but she shrugged and said that she doesn't involve herself in petty fights like these. Shaking her head, Meia ran out of the SOLDIER Training Room.

Rod stretched his neck lazily. "It's kinda unfair if we use Materia or weapons. I say we go fists?" He raised an eyebrow at them.

The SOLDIERS threw their swords on the floor. "Don't act cocky, kid." They sneered. "Two Mako-powered men against one, what are your odds of surviving?"

Without warning, Rod took the first strike. The men moved together in coordination, as if they had a single mind. Their attacks and defenses were seamlessly and well-rehearsed. Meia knew immediately that the two SOLDIERS have been working together for a really long time, in order to build such rapport.

However, Rod was surprisingly agile enough to dodge their coordinated attacks. He smirked as he side stepped the two men who came at him in different directions. Meia smiled, realizing that she didn't need to worry about Rodzen at all. He seemed to be capable of tackling two 2nd Class SOLDIERS very well. His unarmed fighting skills were almost as good as Leia.

_I never thought Brother Rod was that good in unarmed combat. _Meia thought._ Then again, he lived as a gangster in the slums. Surely he has to fight well in order to be the leader of the delinquents. Yet he lost to Brother Reno… _

Meia raised her eyebrows and wondered just how strong could Reno and his mentor, Rude, get. Then there was Tseng and Veld and… Meia shook her head. She is the smallest fry of them all. There will always be room for improvement.

Finally, Rod knocked one of the SOLDIERS unconscious when he elbowed the SOLDIER's nape. The man fell and his partner cried in concern. "I suggest that before I render you unconscious," Rod said seriously. "You give up the fight and carry your partner to the infirmary."

The surviving SOLDIER scoffed. "As if I would!" With a cry, the SOLDIER flicked a switchblade from his hand. Before Meia could cry out a warning, the man drove the blade into Rod's side.

"Urk!" Rod clutched his waist and the SOLDIER took the opportunity to kick Rod onto the floor.

"That's cheating!" Meia yelled at the SOLDIER.

"Cheating shouldn't be such a surprise to you." He sneered. "After all, you Turks are so capable such underhanded measures."

Meia roared and ran towards him, rearing her fist for a punch. Ignoring the shouts from Rod, she rammed her fist against his helmet… but it did nothing to the SOLDIER. Meia jumped back, grabbing her hand. She growled at the pain, but her tears fell uncontrollably.

"Meia!" Rod shouted again. "You idiot!"

"Tch, is that all the strength you have?" The SOLDIER leered. "A kid like you shouldn't even be here-"

"Blizzara!" She yelled at him.

Frost first came but before the SOLDIER could react, the water vapour from the air quickly gathered on his body and solidified in a matter of seconds. The man yelled for help but he only saw fury flashing in her eyes.

Rod grabbed his EMR ready to smash the ice that was already freezing halfway up of the SOLDIER'S chest when someone behind shouted. "Fire!" The ice began to melt, the water flowed smoothly down the SOLDIER'S body and became a puddle of water again.

"Meia!" Meia felt a strong pair of arms holding her from moving. It was Kunsel's voice. "What the hell are you doing?"

"No one slanders the Turks' name and gets away with it!" She said venomously, glaring at the shivering SOLDIER.

"Calm down!" Kunsel yelled into her ear, dragging her further from the SOLDIER. "Your hot temper is really getting you nowhere!" Meia growled and struggled against him in vain.

Zack Fair, the one who cast 'Fire' on the SOLDIER, ran to him and checked for any injuries. "Dominic, are you alright?" He asked concernedly, but Rod sensed a tone of amusement in the SOLDIER 1st Class' voice. Dominic muttered that he was fine, though he clearly looked stunned at the speed of Meia's magic formation. Zack chuckled. "Meia doesn't have a good punch, but it'll do you some good to not compete with her in magic." He glanced at Rod and cast "Cure" on his wound. "Good thing the wound is superficial." He murmured. "Why are you fighting?"

Rod spoke first. "T'was just a sparring session."

The raven-haired SOLDIER wasn't convinced. "In the middle of the SOLDIER Floor?" Rod shrugged. Dominic looked away, saying nothing.

Meia looked at the ex-gang leader with surprise. She didn't expect Rod to cover up for the man who stabbed him. She glared at Dominic. "You need to discipline your men more, Brother Zack." Without shifting her gaze, she said firmly. "We aren't as good as you in fighting, but don't you dare say that we are useless. And don't you dare pull that sneaky, downright-low trick on us."

_Huh._ Kunsel lifted his eyebrows at Dominic but said nothing. "Alrighty, little girl." Kunsel said cheerfully. "Are you free now? Wanna join Zack and I to the cafeteria?"

Meia glanced at the SOLDIER, Dominic, and back at Kunsel. She took a deep breath. "I'll… head inside to ask for permission." She nodded at the door of Training Room 49. Kunsel released his hold on her and she walked through the metal doors.

As she disappeared, Dominic glanced at Rod sheepishly. "I was a little overboard. I apologise for my actions." Rod stared at him… and gave him the middle finger. "You!" The SOLDIER exclaimed.

Rod grinned. "I'm not affected by you. The only who's hot-headed is the naïve idiot inside. But not to worry, she'll forget her anger pretty quickly."

Kunsel was going to ask more when a very cheerful Meia appeared at the door, ready to get her chocolate milk.

* * *

><p>Junon was in chaos. Leia ran along the streets of Lower Junon, fighting AVALANCHE members, one after another. <em>I never knew that the group is so big! <em>She thought. _That or the whole AVALANCHE is out to_ _get me… I rather that… than the thought that in the other areas, Reno, Rude and Tseng are… _ Leia shuddered at her thoughts. She made a mistake by confronting AVALANCHE when she realized that they were gathered in the Junon harbor. She didn't expect them to be so great in number and it would take forever for SOLDIER to be activated anyway…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a little girl standing by the pavement, staring at her. She wore simple clothes, though she didn't look like she belonged to the slums. In her hand she carried a doll. Leia squinted, trying to make out what the plushie was. It looked uncannily like Tseng, with the Turk black suit and short ponytail. Then, Leia smacked her forehead as she realized that it IS a Tseng plushie. Months back, Cassie had a devilish idea, out of the essence of her boredom, to merchandise the Turks by creating plushies for sale. Leia clearly remembered that Cassie said the plushies would help 'dissipate the tension and negative connotations whenever Turks are mentioned'.

_I can't believe Cassie actually…_ She stared at the plushie. It looked remarkably like the Wutaian.

The little girl shrunk under Leia's gaze, clutching the Tseng plushie tighter. Leia immediately looked away, not wanting to scare the girl. _What is a child doing here anyway?_ She thought. _Thankfully, there aren't any AVALANCHE members around._

Leia walked slowly towards the little girl. "Hey there," She said, her voice soft but firm. "It's really dangerous to be out here so run back home and stay there, alright?" The girl looked at her and nodded shyly.

"Takara!" A woman shouted from behind the girl. The girl turned her head and waved at a running woman. As the woman approached, she immediately grabbed the girl's hand. "Takara!" She chided. "How many times must I tell you, do not speak to anybody wearing black suits!" She threw a dirty look at Leia.

Clenching her jaw slightly to maintain her pokerface, Leia said, "Ma'am, please return home immediately. It's not safe to be out here."

"I don't need a Turk to give me orders." The woman replied nastily. "Come on, Takara, we're going home!"

The girl was pulled along by the woman, but she managed to turn back and Leia was sure that she saw the girl, Takara, smile.

Making a mental note to inform Cassie about her unsuccessful plushie-project, Leia side-stepped onto the pavement. "What now…" She murmured. "Maybe I should-" Her PHS interrupted whatever she intended to say. She picked up her PHS and, fearing for the worst, said. "Leia here."

Heidegger's voice was thunderous. "You fool! Junon's been overtaken by AVALANCHE soldiers! I told you to let me know as soon as you found anything!"

"I'm sorry." Leia replied emotionlessly. She constantly checked her surroundings while on the phone. Junon has been so heavily overrun by AVALANCHE that she hasn't been able to take a break for more than 5 minutes. "... I wasn't able to get in touch with you." She took a deep breath and tried not to be distracted by the stitch on her side.

"Everything's compromised, and it's all YOUR fault!" Heidegger's accusing voice did nothing to soothe her heart, burning from the excess running and fighting. "Get your ass up to the airport – now!"

"The airport?" Leia exclaimed.

"They're after the airplanes and airships. Tseng's found out. Stop them! Go! Now!"

Leia gritted her teeth at his reckless and impatient commands. "Wait a minute! What are the other Turks doing?" For the past 30 minutes, Leia was fighting the anti-Shinra troops without a single clue of what her comrades were facing. The knowledge that things could be better executed irked her terribly. "Shouldn't we coordinate our movements?"

"Stop asking me stupid questions! All you have to do is go to the airport!"

The click on the other end told Leia that the call has ended. _Stupid questions!_ She all but screamed furiously in her mind. _Your irrational orders are stupid, that's what. But of course... _"… He hung up."

Leia stared at the streets ahead of her, a peaceful facade hiding what truly is happening in Junon. _To the airport it is._

* * *

><p>Alana walked down the corridor on Floor 10. The grueling session with the scientists on the SOLDIER Floor did not improve her mood. On top of that, Rod and Meia created more trouble by getting themselves into a fight with some SOLDIERS. Though the matter was resolved (and Alana was secretly glad that Rod and Meia won the bout), she disapproved of their behaviour. Then, she found out that Rod was injured in the fight and sent him to the clinic. After a long lecture to the reckless young Turk while the nurse fussed about his freshly healed wound, she left the clinic. She pressed the elevator button and waited patiently. The doors opened and she stepped in… to meet face-to-face with Veld.<p>

"Sir." She bowed. Veld nodded slightly and the doors closed behind them.

"It's been a while." Veld said lightly.

The gun-user never liked 'small talk', preferring to go straight to the point. "Sir…" She said. "You were transferred to the Surveillance Department?" Veld nodded. "What is the situation in Junon?"

"I have no reason to discuss this with you." Was the former leader's reply.

"But sir!" Alana turned to look at him. "I overheard Heidegger on the SOLDIER Floor. The four of them are largely outnumbered by the AVALANCHE!" She clenched her teeth together. "Please, sir." She begged, staring at the floor in front of her. "You know the disastrous consequences, we're going to lose 4 very competent Turks. Mr. Heidegger doesn't know the Turks like you do."

Ding! The elevator stopped at Floor 31.

"Have a good day, Alana." Veld walked out of the elevator. Alana only stared after his figure until the elevator doors closed by itself.

* * *

><p>Congratulations, XXTakaraXX! For finding a loophole in my previous chapter, I've made a small small tribute to you in this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!<p>

For other (not-so-important) stuff, you may go to my blog here: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com.

**[Oh, almost forgot. If you're new to the story and you don't know how to navigate to access the author's notes in previous chapters, just click on the "I Want To Be A Turk" Label on the right side and then find the chapter number under the blog title. Blog title format should be: I Want To Be A Turk!: Chapter X]**

Thanks again for keeping up with the story! Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy this chapter!


	38. Regaining Control

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 38 – Regaining Control**

Leia stared at the fallen AVALANCHE operatives at her feet. _Has it only been an hour since I arrived?_ She rubbed her aching fists. The AVALANCHE teams were relentless. She fought one group after another, but they only kept coming.

The Turks were always resourceful, even in the face of dangers. Leia did not have photographic memory like Meia, but she visited Junon so many times that she knew the place inside out. With some quick outwitting of the AVALANCHE operatives, Leia successfully reached the instructed destination, the airport. The runway was quiet… for now.

_I'm finally here… What am I supposed to be doing here, though? _Leia glanced around for signs of familiar faces. _I don't know what the others are doing, so I don't know how to proceed._

Leia cracked her knuckles. "Heidegger…" She murmured.

_He's going to get it big time._

"There! Kill her!" A voice in the distance pushed her to continue running. The best that Leia could do was to not waste her energy and run. But there seemed to be no end to the madness.

_Everyone… I wonder if they're all going through the same thing? Let them be all right._

* * *

><p>Reno grabbed his chest, a little staggered by the attack that two AVALANCHE soldier delivered on him. "Thunder-2." He muttered the spell for extra electrical power. The EMR, charged with sparks, found its target in their faces and the enemies fell, defeated.<p>

_Time to hit the gym again. _He made a face at his own fighting stamina. _Haven't been doing lots of exercise. Not as quick as it used to be._

"What the hell is this…" Reno walked towards the railing overlooking the sea and leaned against it, sliding down onto the floor. "That department head! What is he thinking, leaving it 'til it got like this?" He sighed and brushed his hair behind his face. "Freakin' tired here…" He murmured to himself. "I wonder how are Meia and the rest doing back in Midgar…" A short while later, he decided that he shouldn't waste time resting. He stood up and started running towards the airport and soon found himself outnumbered four against one.

_Uh oh. __They just keep coming. I'd better just retreat for now._

* * *

><p>Rude brushed the dust off his jacket and analysed his surroundings. Though hidden behind helmets and visors, the malicious intent of the men were barely concealed.<p>

_7 AVALANCHE members against me…_

Sighing at the men surrounding him, he said to himself. "There's too many of them… Junon will fall at this rate."

"You better surrender, while you're still able to, Turk." One of them sneered.

"…" Rude ignored his aching shoulders and settled on a fighting stance, his fingers beckoning them to fight.

* * *

><p>"What's your situation?" Heidegger asked of Tseng.<p>

The Turk shrugged off the AVALANCHE uniform that he wore, stolen from a man that he defeated, and spoke into the phone. "They've overrun the city." He answered, his PHS pressed against his ear as he tried to adjust his tie.

"What did you say?" Heidegger hollered but paused for a moment. "Then it's time to bring out the army! Gah haa haa haaaa!" He laughed.

Tseng cringed at his laugh, but quickly recovered when he considered the implications. "Sir, wait a minute. Bringing out the army at this juncture is too risky. The city will be destroyed."

Heidegger's voice on the other end was emotionless. "So we'll rebuild. All you and your Turks have to do is distract them until the troops arrive."

"Sir! What should we…" Tseng groaned inwardly. "We can't coordinate if you don't tell us what you're trying to do! If-" The Wutain almost threw his PHS at the wall. "He hung up…" He said to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>A burning sensation rose within Leia's heart. She wasn't surprised at all. After all, she has been running and fighting the endless AVALANCHE people, one horde after another, for more than two hours. She paused at the side of the runway to catch her breath.<p>

_Where am I?_

She looked around her for the umpteenth time. There was no one around.

_Never mind. Just keep going. _

Leia continued running, clutching her sides to curb the stitch that was forming and avoiding all conflicts with the operatives. However, luck won't always be on her side…

She took a step back as the AVALANCHE operative held his gun up high at her. "A Turk. So you've managed to come this far. How's life under Heidegger's rule? He's doing us a favour, having you all run around in circles." The other AVALANCHE members chuckled behind him.

"How did you-?" Leia exclaimed, but her brain continued her question. _How did they get that information? There's no way they could have known. _

Her PHS rang. _Need to get away from these guys first! _She decided. She made a run for the alleyways of Junon, thanking Lady Luck for providing her some time to pick up the dreaded call from Heidegger.

"Leia, are you okay?" The martial artist has never been happier to hear Tseng's voice. She smiled and replied that she was fine. "The army's coming in. Hold off AVALANCHE as long as you can until they do."

"What? SOLDIER is coming?" Leia exclaimed, disappointment filling her fatigued body.

_What were we all fighting for, then? Were we just expendable distractions with no other use?_

"There she is!" Hearing AVALANCHE's voices just around the corner gave Leia no choice but to hang up and run again.

* * *

><p>Meia and Rod were in Heidegger's room. "Sir!" Meia pleaded. "Please activate us to Junon! It's suicide to win in a town full of AVALANCHE members versus four of them!"<p>

"Tch, what will sending you do?" Heidegger peered at them disinterestedly. "I can send the whole team of Turks and you won't be able to fix even a pipe! Gya ha ha ha ha!" He laughed at his own joke.

Meia stared at him helplessly. "How could you say that?" She demanded. "We are not enhanced like SOLDIER, but we have other strengths!"

Rod scratched his nose and glanced at Meia. She wanted to try and talk to Heidegger to convince him to send more Turks since the situation has worsened. Rod felt that it was futile, like talking to a wall, but Meia wouldn't listen.

"Once I send the SOLDIER troops, the matter will be solved." Heidegger yawned. "Your lovely friends will be back and it'll be fine, isn't it?"

"But… It'll take at least an hour to gather the SOLDIERs and send them in batches to Junon. Brother Tseng and the rest would be seriously injured by then!" Meia insisted. "How could 4 people defeat hundreds of them?"

Heidegger slammed fist on the table. "You are not the leader, you hear me?" He said angrily. "Your opinion is worthless here!"

"Enough, old geezer." Rod glared at Heidegger. "You do not need to treat us well, but at least treat us the way we deserve."

Heidegger reddened at Rod's words. "Insolent brat! Is this how you treat your superior?" He pointed a shaking finger at them. "This is why kids like you shouldn't be Turks. That's what I told Veld but did that moron listen? No…"

"Brother Veld is not a moron you… you MEANIE!" Meia said hotly. "He's a better leader than you can ever be!"

"Hold your tongue, kid!" Heidegger yelled. "Have you forgotten who I am? I am your leader now, not Veld. I'm in charge and my decision is final." He narrowed his eyes at them. "If the four Turks in Junon die, it's their fault anyway. Serves them right that they didn't inform me of AVALANCHE's actions earlier."

Meia looked as if she was on the verge of pouncing on the man. Rod grabbed Meia by her collar before she could reach for her gun. "We take our leave… _sir_." He said, glaring at the leader. Once the doors closed outside the door, he folded his arms and pushed her head roughly. "What were you thinking?" He scowled. "You could've gotten both of us killed!"

"Damn it!" Meia growled. "I can't stand around here and see the four of them…" Angry tears flowed out of her eyes and she sobbed, like a child. Sighing at how she could be so feisty in one moment and so vulnerable the next, Rod gently took her away from Heidegger's office.

* * *

><p>The surveillance room contained only one officer. The middle-aged man watched the situation calmly, at images of Reno being beaten up by AVALANCHE members, at images of Rude barely surviving the waves of attacks, at the sight of Meia crying outside Heidegger's office.<p>

He gripped his prosthetic arm tightly, recalling a dream of his past. Then, he stood up and walked out of the door towards the President's office. There is always a fine line between professionalism and emotion but now, at the sorry sight of the men that he cared for, Veld could not be objective anymore.

* * *

><p>The Turks' Lounge was not empty. Some Turks were gathered but they were hushed and speaking in low tones. Meia looked at them anxiously. "Are you sure that this will work?" She pulled her pigtails with worry. "Rod has never flown out of Midgar before."<p>

Cissnei gave a small smile. "Among the many things that we've done collectively today, Rod's flying is the least of our worries. Let us not mention flying out of Midgar, Rod is not even supposed to fly the helicopter."

"… Stolen from the helipad." Haato added. "And six Turks disappearing in HQ without explanation. Yep. When this whole thing dies down, we're as good as dead. Though… I believe the amount of mischief YOU did today is enough to get us all into hot soup." Haato shrugged. "Rod and you duelled the two SOLDIERS, you almost fought with Horse-face…"

Meia coloured at his words. "I… I didn't mean to have an outburst like that…" She said.

"I shall deal with all of you individually when this thing is over." A cool voice replied.

Recognising the voice instantly, the three Turks turned, their ears not believing till their eyes saw. "Brother Veld!" Meia exclaimed, jumping out of the chair and hugging him. "Are you here to help us?"

Veld pulled his lips into a tight smile. Unlike others, he shows his true emotions not in his eyes, but in his tight smile. "Help is hardly the word. I've taken full responsibility over the Turks again." He said.

"Yes! Woohoo!" Meia hooted and jumped childishly on the spot with joy. "Everyone will be ecstatic to hear the good news!"

Cissnei asked. "Sir, what about Mr. Heidegger?"

"President Shinra has given him the notice. I'm sure… he won't mind." Veld answered calmly. "We'll talk later. Haato, get me onto a conference call with everyone."

"Oh… Erm… About that…" Meia stammered. "The rest of the Turks are not in HQ. They… They left on their own… to Junon." Veld raised his eyebrows, but waited for her to continue. "That's really about it… Minus the details that we stole a helicopter from the helipad and Brother Rod is flying it…" She trailed off slowly.

"Sir, the line is ready whenever you are." Haato's interruption saved her from explaining even further. The reinstated head of the Turks merely nodded at her 'report' and then he walked towards Haato. Meia heaved a sigh of relief. She doubt Veld was ready to hear about the other things they've done.

* * *

><p>When the PHS rang, Leia was still considering her circumstances. She saw that in a distance, she was going to be cornered by AVALANCHE in both directions. She hid in a dark, shadowy alley and prayed that the person calling is Tseng and not Heidegger.<p>

_It's a conference call. _She realized._ Doesn't look like something Heidegger would do._

"Leia, what's your situation?"

Leia gasped and almost dropped her phone. "… Sir?" She asked tentatively, for she could hardly believe that it was Veld.

"Sir… can we first ensure that everyone is really connected?" Leia heard Haato speak in the background. There was a sound of shuffling of communicative equipment, then she heard Haato's voice clearly. "This is Haato, with Veld, Cissnei and Meia in Midgar HQ."

"Tseng here."

"Leia is here." Leia was glad that the Turks in the conference call couldn't see her smile.

"Reno."

"… Rude."

A static sound was heard, then Leia heard Alana's voice. "Alana with Mason, KK, Rod, Cassie and Kido. We're reaching Junon in 10 minutes."

"All here." Haato confirmed. Then the phone was returned to Veld.

"All of you, I want you to listen to me carefully. I have resumed leadership of the Turks." From the slight commotion from the different channels, Leia knew that they could barely hide their excitement. Veld cleared his throat, gaining their attention again. "From now on you will take your orders from me."

"Sir! You're back." Tseng said.

"This is no time to be sentimental. Our first priority is dealing with the situation at Junon."

"Yes, sir." Replied Tseng. Leia could almost hear happiness from the usually emotionless Turk.

"Tseng. We're lacking any useful information on the Ravens. We don't know what their next move may be. Keep an eye on their movements. Find out as much as you can."

"Yes, sir."

"Reno."

"Yeah."

"Head for the control tower. Get the situation at the airport under control. I'm counting on you to get there as fast as you can."

"I'm on my way, boss."

"Rude."

"Yes." Rude replied.

"You're Reno's advance guard. Clear the way to the tower for him. Work as a team."

"Yes, sir."

Leia sighed with relief. With Veld back in command, things are more systematic and structured. Unlike SOLDIER, the Turks work through planning and communication. Rarely do they go berserk and do things in an ad-hoc manner. This suited Leia just fine.

"Leia."

"Sir."

"Deal with the AVALANCHE operatives on the airships. They're landed at the B-West landing area. Turn back the way you came and keep going straight."

Leia widened her eyes at the instructions. "But sir! There are AVALANCHE operatives all along that road."

"Don't worry about that." Veld assured her. "Trust me, I've dealt with that too."

_That's not much of an assurance._ She thought. _But I trust him._

"Yes, sir."

"The Turks in Junon, you better move now. You can do it."

"ROGER!" Tseng, Reno, Rude and Leia chorused in unison.

Leia flipped her PHS shut, cracked her knuckles and shook out the stiffness in her knees. She walked out of the alley and into the open. "I'll believe in Veld!" She declared. "Get out of my way, all of you!"

* * *

><p>In the stolen helicopter bound for Junon, Alana heard the four Turks hang up and asked Veld over the PHS. "Sir, what orders do you have for us?"<p>

"Once you've reached Junon?" Veld asked. "Rod is to remain in the chopper, on standby for takeoff."

"Roger that." Rod said, his hands numb from the trembling of the helicopter's controls.

"The rest of you. Split up and search for remaining AVALANCHE operatives. Two of you will assist Leia at the airport. Alana, I'm counting on you for manpower allocation."

"Yes sir." Alana replied.

"We're still far outnumbered, sir." Kido pointed out.

"I'm aware of that." Veld said. "Special forces will be arriving soon."

"You mean SOLDIER?" Alana asked.

"No, but him alone can subdue AVALANCHE's plans, and he can reach Junon in 15 minutes."

The Turks on the helicopter glanced at each other. _Is there a man strong enough to subdue hundreds of AVALANCHE members?_

"Understood, sir." Alana spoke into the PHS. "Also, we're willing to accept any punishment you have for us for acting on our own decisions."

There was a brief silence on the other end, then Veld said. "We'll see about that."

The conference call ended and KK looked at the faces around her. "We really are in trouble, aren't we?"

"Expulsion of our jobs, or worse." Kido said gravely.

"Then why are we here?" Rod stared in the distance and quickly said. "Preparing for landing in Junon."

"Because we are sick of the way Heidegger works." Quipped Cassie.

Katherine smiled and tossed her knives casually. "And we need to show him how we Turks work?"

"If he dares put us in library work again, I'll..." Mason smashed his fists together.

"There's nothing you'll do, Mason." Alana said seriously. "Because though he is not our direct head, he is still a superior in the company."

"Come on, Alana, you wanted that 'GYA HA HA!' horse to leave as much as we do." Mason nudged the gun-user.

Cissnei grinned at the hidden agenda that none of the Turks wanted to show. "Definitely not because we don't want Tseng, Reno, Rude and Leia to die in Junon."

"Only that stupid girl Meia would put her emotions into her work." Kido commented and glancing at Mason, he added. "And Mason." Mason glared at him, though he was smiling. The Turks smirked at each other. The years of working together only proved that despite their differences, they knew each other well and in a way that they'll never admit, the Turks is their family.

"Touchdown!" Rod released a breath that he didn't notice that he was holding.

"Good job, Rodzen." Cassie patted his back encouragingly.

Mason flipped the door of the helicopter open. "Come on!" He yelled. "Let's get some exercise! I'm heading for Leia, you guys plan on your own!"

"Mason!" Alana called after him but the burly man ran off. "Goodness, he's as reckless as a..." She stopped as words failed her. The sight in front of her ended whatever thoughts she had in mind.

The rest of the Turks stepped out of the helicopter and gazed over the numerous AVALANCHE troops in Lower Junon. "We can talk about expulsion of our jobs... if we survive tonight." Cissnei said quietly.

* * *

><p>"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" A roar in the short distance caused Leia to glance at the group of AVALANCHE in front of her, surrounding her comrade.<p>

"Mason..." She said, recognising his sandy-brown hair and signature punch instantly.

Mason launched himself at one of the AVALANCHE operatives and with a rearing punch, he knocked the soldier out cold. Then he elbowed the closest AVALANCHE operative and turned to the last man standing.

"Prepare yourself!" Mason roared. "You should know better than to pull innocent bystanders into this. There's no way I'm gonna stand by and let that happen!

The enemy staggered back at his attacks. "H-h-he's strong!"

_And full of talk. _Leia mused. There's no denying that Mason is strong. He is one of the strongest Turks, but when Mason becomes emotional and starts talking while fighting, he can be easily distracted.

Today proved not to be the case. Mason swiftly dealt a powerful punch at the last AVALANCHE member and turned to Leia who was walking towards him. "Yo, Leia.I've cleared the road for you. The airship landing strip is just up ahead. Don't let your guard down."

Leia nodded and gave him a gentle pat on the back. "Thanks for coming here. You'll be here?" When Mason nodded, Leia said. "Keep up the good work."

"I sure will. We'll talk again when this mess is over." Mason punched his fists together. "You have absolutely NO IDEA what Heidegger made us go through."

* * *

><p>Veld had a gift of foresight that not many tacticians can ever hope to obtain. It was Veld's talent, coupled with his resolute loyalty and his leadership skills that he managed to be the head of the Turks for a long time. True to his reputation, within the next hour, Junon was successfully subdued by the Turks. Heidegger was given a part to play in the operation too, though he was no longer in command of the Turks. The Security was activated as well to help out with restraining further anti-Shinra attacks in Junon, but SOLDIER wasn't activated at all.<p>

The returning head of the Turks was brief in his closing meeting, thanking the Turks for their sacrificial help to suppress the AVALANCHE attack on Junon.

"Sir…" Alana's voice was shaky but she pressed on. "About everything we've done today…"

Veld was silent and he frowned at the report. Meia was the one who was tasked to write it, and she was honest to a T. "Well…" Veld said gravely and the room quietened further. "The department really has done some mischief."

"We're sorr-" KK began.

"However," Veld interrupted the knife-user. "I wasn't your leader when you've committed these crimes. These things were committed under the jurisdiction of Heidegger. If anything, it should be Heidegger punishing you… but he probably won't be the head anytime so soon so…"

The Turks could hardly believe their ears. "No punishment?" Rod asked tentatively.

Veld shrugged. "It's not my power to deliver punishments to men who are, or were under my colleague's leadership." He sighed. "I don't want to hear any of this anymore."

"Brother Veld… He really cares for us." Meia said to herself. "No one can treat us as well as he does."

Leia caught it and replied, "That's what I thought just now too. No one is as devoted to the Turks as he is."

"While I congratulate all of you on a job well done," Veld said. "I'd like you to meet somebody. Without him, we would not be able to subdue the large masses of AVALANCHE. His help has been most valuable to us tonight."

Meia looked at Veld with interest. Shortly after the conference call, Veld informed them that he'll employ the help of a former Turk.

_Former Turk? If he was a former Turk… then he should have no memories of being a Turk or dead. So how…? _

The door behind them opened, and a tall man with orangey-blond hair walked in.

"Legend?" Some of the Turks exclaimed.

"Legend!" Haato stood up, grinning.

"Howdy." The man tipped his head at the stunned group of Turks.

Veld nodded. "Most of you remember him, of course. He was one of our Turks and is someone of great strength."

"It has been… what? Two and a half years since you left?" Haato walked toward him, and they gave a friendly handshake.

"Being under house arrest isn't fun." The man grinned. "Though the babes at Costa del Sol made it up for me."

Meia stared at him for a brief moment, then nudged Tseng gently . "That's the Legendary Turk that killed the arms dealer instead of bringing him back to HQ?"

Tseng raised his eyebrows at her, but he remembered that he didn't need to be alarmed. Meia has decent memory skills even if it wasn't visual information. "Yes… He was under house-arrest in Costa del Sol and when Shinra asked him to return-"

"I said that I would rather spend my time on the beach, getting to know women." Legend gave a sly grin. "Some new faces here, huh?" He scanned across the room. "We'll have time to talk later." He grinned at Meia and Rod.

Veld cleared his throat. "About that. Regarding what I asked you…"

"Oh." Legend waved his hand casually. "I've thought hard about it and I think…" He scratched his thick sideburns. "I accept your proposal to become a Turk again. Not that I ever lost the Turk status." He nodded at the rest of the Turks. "Think I've missed out on quite a bit in the past few years, huh?"

His words were met with excitement. "Welcome back, Legend!" Cassie gave him a playful punch. "Next time, we go Costa del Sol together!"

"Anytime, my lady." Was his suave reply.

"Legend, now that you're back, I believe you can check on Rude and assess his bomb-making." Veld said.

"Legend is an extraordinaire when it comes to bomb-creation." Explained KK to Meia. "It's no wonder AVALANCHE could be subdued so quickly. Though Rude is more senior than him in the Turks, Legend is the one who taught Rude how to make bombs."

Thinking back (and cringing) at the memory when she was abducted by Don Corneo's men, she did think to herself that Rude's bomb, the one which blew a huge hole on the wall, was mighty. Looking at the returning Turk, Meia felt a smile tugging at her lips.

_Our family has increased again._

* * *

><p>Veld knocked on the grand door of the sole office in Floor 70. The muffled voice of the President was cue for the reinstated head to enter.<p>

"Veld." The President was quick to the point, saving all formalities. "That thing I told you to look into… what have you got to report?"

Veld bowed. "Sir. We haven't made any progress." He replied calmly.

President Shinra harrumphed. "Hmph. Who's leaking information out of the company…?"

"The list of candidates is small; it is information only the executives can get a hold of…"

The bulky man stood up from his table and walked towards his window, showing his a clear view of Sector 7 below. "Maybe Hojo…? He's got access to a lot of important data pertaining to SOLDIER."

Veld fell silent at the President's words.

_If Hojo is the one behind this, it would certainly explain the exponential increase in the strength of AVALANCHE's forces. _

As he left the office, he rubbed his chin in thought.

… _I should keep an eye on him._

* * *

><p>I apologise for the MANY MANY line breaks. There are too many scenes to juggle =P<p>

Authors' notes to be found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Thank you for reading my chapter. A review (or two, or three?) would totally make my day!

See you soon, very soon. =)


	39. Brother Reno

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

The first climax of the story, but things that happens after may not be what we want. That's life, sometimes.

**Chapter 39 – Brother Reno**

14 February 0002

With much luck, Meia and Reno stumbled upon a relatively secluded street corner in the upper plates of Sector 7 a few days after the Junon incident. Since then, they tried to find time to spar together. According to Reno, he was bored of the decorum in the Turks' Training Room. For Meia, it was a good opportunity to spend with Reno.

The corner was quiet and safe from Midgar civilians, yet spacious enough for movement. Reno and Meia loved it, finding time in the two weeks to spar. The first time they sparred Reno won but in the heat of the battle, he forgot to withhold his strength and Meia ended up with a shoulder dislocation that took her many days to recover. Then in the second duel, Reno fought her as if she's fragile, and Meia was offended.

Today, they walked to their sparring corner again, chatting animatedly about trivial things. Their faces turned serious, however, when they reached the sparring venue.

"Same rules as usual?" Meia smiled at Reno.

Reno, leaning his weight on the right, tapped his EMR casually on his shoulder. "Loser treats blueberry waffles."

Meia laughed. "If my memory serves me right, breakfast in the Turks cafeteria is free for the Turks." She said sarcastically.

The redhead gave a mischievous grin. "Melee today?" He asked, removing his "Lightning" Materia from his EMR.

Meia nodded and emptied her gun as well. "As long as our weapon touches our shoulders or head, it's one point won?"

"Deal."

"Please don't go easy on me." She smiled.

"You have my word." Without warning, Reno sprang into action, swinging his EMR in her face.

Meia immediately sidestepped Reno and stepped back further from him. "You could've given me a heads up." She narrowed her eyes at the grinning Turk. "Besides, whatever happens to 'Ladies first'?"

"You wanted me to be like myself, Meia." Reno explained in a matter-of-fact manner. "I'm not gentlemanly, like Rude."

"Clearly." She nodded.

She ran towards Reno and when Reno sidestepped her, she left elbowed him. Reno blocked her attack and pushed her elbow away, swinging his EMR at the same time. Meia felt the impact of the EMR on her right cheek and fell onto the ground, but recovered quickly by doing a backward roll. The stoned pavements made her regret doing that.

"Plus one for me." He grinned, referring to the bout.

"I hate it when you're ambidextrous." She grumbled.

"Too bad you're not!" He cried, running towards her. He swung his EMR at her, but she dodged to the side. As he swung his EMR again, she dodged by doing a perfect back cartwheel. Then he swung his leg up for a kick but Meia held his raised leg with both her hands. With a high-pitched roar, she pushed his leg back and he fell.

That was how they fought for the next half an hour. Reno would attack and Meia will defend with the monkey-like skills that Zack taught her many years ago. Then Meia would attack and Reno will effortlessly dodge her attacks with his unmatchable speed. If one didn't notice the smiles playing on their faces, they would be concerned if either of them would be hurt.

Soon, Meia found the chance to attack. She pounced on Reno's back, pushing him face-first flat onto the floor. She sat on his shoulders, locking his arms so that they won't move and tapped his head with the back of the gun grip. "I said, please don't go easy on me." She grinned. "Plus one for me."

Reno smirked in response. He threw his EMR over his back, aiming at Meia. She quickly jumped off Reno's back to dodge it. Taking that as a chance, he scrambled up, picked up his fallen EMR and with an excited cheer, he climbed up a short building. His deft hands and legs quickly found footholds to grab onto and soon he sat on the ledge of one of the windows, grinning at Meia.

"Oh you've GOT to be kidding me!" Meia groaned in exasperation. "You can climb buildings?" She found herself starting to pant a little from the exhaustion. "You freak." She grinned.

"Catch me if you can, yo." He smirked. He took off his blazer. "All that exercise is making me warm, opps-" He cut short when his blazer slid off his fingers. "Oh crap-"

"Wow, for a third in-command, you sure can be dumb." Meia caught the fluttering blazer swiftly with her hands. "Losing your blazer is equal to a week of probation." She recited flawlessly from the Turks' guide book.

"Aww come on!" He groaned. "Give it back to me!"

She stuck out her tongue at Reno. "Nah-uh! I'm gonna bring this back and tell Tseng that you went rogue on us!" Meia grinned triumphantly and ran towards her gun, lying on the side of the pavement.

"Oh no, you won't!" Reno quickly hopped down the ledges and ran towards Meia. Meia gave a small scream as Reno pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. "Gotcha!" He grinned.

"Brother Reno, get off me!" She giggled. "You know I won't do such a childish thing as that!" She tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. "You wouldn't leave Shinra, of course!"

Reno gave a short chuckle. "Of course I wouldn't leave Shinra, Meia." He smiled at her and took his time to admire her bright hazel eyes. "You're here."

Meia couldn't figure out if her heart pounded quickly because of his words or from the strenuous sparring exercise. "… Are you going to move or…?" She asked slowly, though she could only stare at his eyes, wondering how his pale turquoise eyes could look so vivid at that moment.

She never did finish her question, because Reno murmured her name and suddenly she felt something warm and soft press against her lips. Meia stared at Reno, whose eyes were closed, and she momentararily felt paralysed. There was only one thing that came into her mind.

_Brother Reno likes me._

There was no denying it, no doubt about it. His hands ran over her dark, sweaty hair with no signs of repulsion. They traced the outline of her face and caressed her cheek gently.

Meia laid there, trying to make sense of the hundreds of emotions that exploded from the simple touch of his hands and the warm sensation pressing against her lips. She slowly felt her hands reaching out to touch Reno's hair as well. Though his hair was all styled with hard gel, Meia knew the back of his hair was untouched with gel. She knows. She notices every part of Reno.

When he pulled away, Meia thought he smiled. "… Brother Reno?" She said softly, her cheeks burning from the moist contact on her lips.

Suddenly, realising what he just did, Reno's eyes widened and he leapt away from their positions, cursing loudly. "Meia!" He stared at her. "I…" Meia glanced at him and saw that he bit back whatever he wanted to say. Reno stood up and grabbed his blazer, lying on the floor. He wore his blazer silently, his true expression was masked behind his clenched jaw and frown.

"Brother Reno…?" Meia asked again.

Reno turned towards the end of the street. "Let's go, Meia." He said, his voice was cold and held back.

Meia shook her head at his behaviour. _Why is he behaving like that? _Before she could stop herself, she called out, "Brother Reno?" Reno turned, but he wasn't looking at her directly. "Brother Reno…" She uttered, her heart pounding so hard that her head could almost feel its resonance. "I like you." Her cheeks warmed up with her bold confession. She looked down shyly. "You don't have to-"

"What are you talking about, yo?" Reno said. Meia looked up at him, startled by his taunting tone. "Little girls like you shouldn't be thinking about things like this." He grinned. "Let's go."

His smile was a façade, Meia could tell. As he turned back to head towards the HQ, Meia ran and hugged him from behind. "Meia!" He exclaimed.

"Brother Reno…" Meia said softly. "… Do you like me?"

There was a small silence and all Meia could hear is the droning of the Mako Reactors in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt Reno's hands hold hers, lingering a little longer than they should… but he pried them loose and he placed her hands by the side gently.

"Meia." His voice lost its cheerfulness and liveliness. "Don't give me this kind of nonsense." Meia couldn't see his expression but his tone has finality to it. "I don't care for you in that way."

The girl let her arms fall back to her sides, but she was not satisfied. "Really? You're not lying?" Reno remained silent. "Then tell me, Brother Reno." She folded her arms and glared at him. "What was that kiss about?"

"Meia…"

"I don't believe that you would kiss me, if you don't hold any sort of feelings for me." Meia shook her head. "You're not that kind of frivolous person."

"You don't know me." Reno replied with a hard tone. "I can be-"

Meia interrupted. "If you have feelings for me, just say it! Why are you being so difficult?"

"You're the one that's being difficult!" He argued back.

"I'm difficult?" She exclaimed. "Do you even know what you did just now? Brother Reno!" Meia frowned when Reno forbade her to speak further.

"I know what I did, damn it! And it is not what I feel! Can you just let it go?" He cursed, but upon seeing her face, he calmed down and spoke emotionlessly. "I'm sorry that it happened… It's not… Now you…" His words were fragmented and haphazard, Meia cocked her head at him to urge him to form a complete sentence. "Meia, please." He groaned. "I beg of you… Just forget what has happened tonight."

Meia looked at him with disappointment and disgust. "I can't believe it, Brother Reno." She deadpanned, shaking her head. "You'd rather beg me than to admit your own feelings." She picked up her chrome gun lying by the side of the walkway. "That definitely made me lose respect for you."

"Meia…" From a harsh tone earlier on, Reno now sounded more broken and soft. "I-"

"I'm sorry that I said those things to you." Meia said numbly. "I'll rethink my actions and my feelings. So just…" Meia gulped. "Forget what I've said." Ignoring any further explanations from Reno, Meia turned and walked the long way back to HQ alone.

* * *

><p>Cissnei glanced up sharply when her sharp ears heard a distinctive sob from someone who walked past the pantry. She set her newspaper down and ran out into the hallway. Recognising the dark hair immediately, Cissnei called out, "Meia? What's wrong?"<p>

There was no answer from the girl. Usually Cissnei would've let Meia be and check on her later but something prompted the shruiken-user to pursue the matter. She chased the figure down the walkway. "Meia?" She placed a hand on Meia's shoulder. As Cissnei pulled back, she saw that the little girl was crying. "What's wrong?" She asked, shocked.

"Nothing." Meia mumbled. She fumbled for her keys in front of her room. "Just that Reno is a coward."

Cissnei wasn't going to waste time figuring out what Meia meant. "By coward you mean…"

She paused at the open door. "A coward kisses someone he likes but denies that he likes her." Before Cissnei could respond, Meia walked in and swung the door shut.

Cissnei stared at the closed door and stepped away. She has never encountered anything of the sort. None of the Turks she knew, in her 7 years of experience, had or confided in her any relationship issues. _Which probably explains why I'm doing such a bad job at it. _She grimaced, pushing away a certain dark-haired man away in her mind.

The redhead stepped back some more. She knew that it is futile to talk sense into Meia, neither would she be able to handle the situation even if Meia confided in her about it. Cissnei walked back to the pantry and sat down, her mind blank except for one question.

_Oh Reno. What the hell did you do now?_

* * *

><p>15 February 0002<p>

Meia woke up with sore eyes, but not because of fatigue. She squinted at the clock. Despite her emotional ordeal last night, her body was disciplined enough to wake up punctually. Meia wanted to go back to sleep but thought better of it.

_I should just go training. _She scratched her neck. _Whatever happened last night doesn't warrant me the privilege to mope. _She has read too many romance novels to figure out that nobody likes a depressed person.

Meia got up from her bed, flipped on the light switch and grimaced when she saw her reflection on the mirror. _I've never cried so hard. _She made a face at herself. _You look utterly terrible, Meia. You should've thought about this before you cried yourself to sleep last night._

_How am I going to treat Brother Reno today? I feel so stupid for even professing my feelings like that… like an idiot. Brother Reno… _Meia squeezed her eyes shut to block out the last strands of emotion, but it failed her. _… Why did you need to be so…_

Meia took a deep breath to drain the last of her emotions.

_I have some paperwork to do. _She sighed inwardly. _I could use a good run. Maybe I'll train. Or find a mission. I cannot sit here and let my thoughts invade my work. _She pulled over her hoodie and laced up her shoes. _I… I should apologise to him later today._

She ran longer than usual at the gym today, but it did her some good. After a cold and refreshing shower, Meia walked out of the cubicle. She frowned when she saw that her eyes were still puffy and pink. Meia sighed to herself. _It looks like I'll look like this the whole day._

Walking out of the bathroom, she saw Katherine walking past. "Gosh, Meia! You look terrible!" KK asked. "What happened?"

Meia smiled to herself. Trust the overly-blunt knife user to cheer her up. "I had a bad night, but I'm fine." She cleared her throat a little. "Did you uh… Did you see Brother Reno?"

Katherine scratched her head. "I overheard Haato telling Kido during breakfast that Reno and Rude left for a mission." She pouted and tried to recall the details. "That's all I know. Sorry about that."

Meia shrugged and replied that it's fine. _More time for me to muster my courage._

Little did Meia know how long it would be before she could see Reno again.

* * *

><p>Rude, sitting on the co-pilot seat in the helicopter, peered at his quiet partner. Not that Reno was silent, he talked still… he talked <em>a lot<em>. Nevertheless, it was just not Reno. Rude doesn't consider himself sensitive to others' emotions, but working long-term with Reno gave him ample opportunity and experience to be sure when Reno is being himself or putting up a false front.

"Reno." Rude deadpanned.

"What's up?"

"You're never a morning person."

Reno yawned as he shifted the controls gently. "What about it?"

"Yet you willingly took on a mission that requires our butts to be out of HQ at 4 in the morning… when Tseng did not intend to pick us in the first place." Rude frowned. "… A mission that requires us to be undercovers in Nibelheim for seven months."

"Good to be out in the open once in a while."

"It's just an undercover mission with lots of paperwork and little action around Mt. Nibel's Mako Reactor." Rude rejoined. "Years ago when we were tasked to be undercovers for Gongaga for a month, you complained so much."

Finally, Reno couldn't take Rude's implications. "What are you trying to say, Rude?"

"You obviously are avoiding Shinra HQ, all of a sudden."

Reno pulled his lips into a tight smile. "I swear I have no idea what you're talking about, yo."

The bald Turk looked in front of him and wisely chose not to ask any further.

* * *

><p>It wasn't too long before Meia discovered the nature of the mission that Reno and Rude took. They took a long-term mission to Nibelheim to inspect the Mako Reactor, disguised as backpack travelers. Unless necessary, they will not return to HQ till the end of September.<p>

Meia did little to mask her true emotions. At least she did nothing inappropriate or unprofessional. When she heard that Reno and Rude were going on a mission, she didn't think they would be gone so long. In fact, she never knew that Shinra missions can take so long.

"What kind of job is it that requires such a long period of outfield mission?" She asked Tseng, pulling her pigtails.

"Undercover job in Nibelheim." Tseng answered. "Mt. Nibel's Mako Reactor is the very first Reactor that Shinra built, it has been standing for many years. It's just one of those regular checks to ensure that things are going smoothly."

Meia frowned. "I don't remember any of us being dispatched as undercovers in places."

"Usually, Shinra makes an official checkup instead. For that, only scientists and SOLDIERS are dispatched. Once in a while, Shinra will send some spies instead, that's when the Turks come in."

Meia shrugged. "Must be the worst job for Brother Reno." She said. "He can barely sit still, much less be undercover."

The leader of the Turks barely smiled, but Meia could tell he was amused. "That is true. Which is why I was surprised when he volunteered to take the mission."

"Wait, what?" Meia stared at Tseng. "Brother Reno volunteered?"

Tseng nodded and instantly Meia felt a sick feeling at the bottom of her stomach. _Brother Reno is avoiding me. _She felt like punching him. _Does he face all his problems by avoiding it or being some jerk? _She thought, thinking back on Alyssa. (A/N: Refer to Chapter 19 for who is Alyssa.)

"You can always contact him by PHS." Tseng said simply.

Meia nodded and excused herself from Tseng's desk. She didn't know what to make of Reno's departure. Reno left, knowing that he won't be back for seven months, just so that he can avoid her?

The feeling in her stomach worsened. She has never felt rejection of this extent. She didn't expect that he abhorred her presence…

Meia sat back at her desk. No, she cannot understand it. The thought that Reno may even detest her presence made her stomach churn and her eyes sting.

"Our years of friendship… gone in an instant." She murmured, touching her earrings absent-mindedly. "Brother Reno… Please be safe in Nibelheim. You may not want to see me anymore, but I still want to see you."

* * *

><p>20 February 0002<p>

One week flew by quickly for most people but for Meia, it was hard. It wasn't like they were inseparable (no, Rude and Reno are inseparable, not Reno and herself!). Still, with his presence completely missing, Meia felt as if something was amiss.

She stood at the balcony of the Turks' lounge, staring at the Midgar city below her. Her mind was unsettled, but it wasn't as if it was chaotic either. In a way, her heart felt numb to its inner entropy. Now, Meia only wanted to do something, anything, that doesn't remind her of Reno.

"Hey, kid." She heard Legend say. Turning around, she smiled at the bomb-master standing by the door. "You… alright there?"

"How do I even begin to say this…" Meia smiled sadly.

Legend walked down the small steps and stood beside Meia. "Good view here, huh?"

Meia beamed. "Yeah, but the night view is better at the helipad…" She trailed off and chided herself for bringing up the memory. "But I'll make do with this." She ended lamely.

The man glanced at Meia's fallen countenance. "So I've heard about your problem."

She couldn't help but stare at him. "… Really?"

"Yeah, overheard Cassie and Cissnei talking briefly about it."

"Oh." Meia chuckled to herself. "I think pretty soon everyone will know about it."

Legend drummed his fingers on the railings thoughtfully. "You know… You may see me as a new face, but I was still an ex-Turk… I have an idea how Reno can be sometimes." He whistled. "One hell of an idiot."

"You think?" Meia grinned.

"But when he's focused on something, he'll be dead serious and determined to get whatever he wanted, done." Legend reached in his pocket for a cigarette. He was going to offer Meia a stick when he hesitated. "… I shouldn't get you started on smoking." He decided.

Meia smiled. "Wasn't going to try."

Legend grunted and lit his cigarette, shielding the lighter as he did so. The cigarette end burned a bright vermillion. Meia saw him take a deep breath and sighed, exhaling a mass of smoke.

"Reno can be quite simple-minded sometimes." He said casually, as if he was talking about the weather.

"He's not that stupid, you know." Meia smiled. "Everyone likes to classify him as simple-minded, but he's one of the most complex people I know."

"That's because you haven't seen the world, little girl." Legend replied with a tone like a wise old man. "He is profound, yes. Unpredictable too. But sometimes the most complex people are the easiest to understand." He drew a deep puff. "Give Reno some time. My best bet is that he is freaked out by his own emotions as well."

Meia looked at Legend. "You mean… you think that he…" She blushed. "He really does like me?"

Legend raised a thick eyebrow at her. "Weren't you the one being all confident that he has feelings for you?" Legend smirked and pushed the side of her head playfully. Somehow Meia didn't feel awkward by his touch. "I'm just giving a conjecture based on what I hear."

"It doesn't matter now." Meia replied gloomily. "I told him to forget whatever I've said. Besides, he's not going to be back for a while. Maybe whatever feelings he has now will fade with time… Maybe that's why he wanted the mission… To get rid of his feelings towards me."

Legend sighed. "People don't just forget things when others tell them to. If that really happens… Take it as a sign that it's probably not meant to be. There are lots of boys out there. Surely the right one will come along by then."

She rested her head on her arms, on the railing. "You know…" Meia said. "I'm really glad that you took the initiative to talk to me."

"What initiative?" Legend tapped the cigarette lightly, not caring if the ashes fell over the balcony. "I am just here for a good smoke."

Meia smiled in reply. "Thank you."

Legend looked at her with an unusual surge of affection for the girl. He shook his head to himself. It was just a coincidence that Meia reminded him of Rachel.

Rachel was neither his girlfriend nor wife. She wasn't even his sister. She was the sister of one of his teammates, while he was still an anti-Shinra operative. Legend found himself much attached to the little girl's bright and cheerful personality. When he lost everyone in 1997, he grieved for the comrades that he lost, and more for Rachel.

That was why when he met the betrayer, disguised as an arms-dealer in 1999, during his Turk mission, he couldn't accept Shinra's orders to bring the arms-dealer back alive. The arms-dealer begged for his life, but Legend was merciless. Lives are to be avenged, especially for bright, innocent lives like Rachel. Naturally, Shinra didn't take his actions pleasantly and placed him under house arrest. Legend didn't mind. As long as the arms-dealer who betrayed his anti-Shinra group was dealt with righteously, nothing mattered. (A/N: I've mentioned this in Chapter 8 as well.)

Now that he has returned, he didn't know what to think when he saw Meia. She was similar to Rachel, in disposition and personality. Perhaps if Rachel were to be her age, she would be exactly like Meia now…

Legend smiled. No amount of speculation can revive Rachel now. The best he can do is to do his work as a Turk. Inwardly however, Legend was glad that in a hostile place as Shinra, he could find a person that still reminded him of Rachel.

Meia looked at Legend's expression as he was absorbed in his own thoughts. Somehow she felt a sisterly affection toward the older Turk. The legendary Turk, the former "Death God of the Battlefield", was not as intimidating as she feared. It would be wonderful to know him better.

She sighed and stared at the far distance ahead, wondering where Nibelheim is… and whether Reno and Rude are safe in Nibelheim.

* * *

><p>"Nibelheim is a quaint little town that sleeps at 8 in the evening." Reno laid on his bed and deadpanned.<p>

Rude shook his head. "You wanted to come here." He pointed out.

Reno stared at the ceiling ahead of him. "So I did…" He murmured.

It has been a week since they first arrived, disguised as backpack travellers. Reno immediately half-regretted his decision to come to Nibelheim, the town has always given him the creeps. However, the citizens of Nibelheim turned out to be much friendlier than he thought. The two Turks were given two rooms in the inn to stay for a cheap price, since they'll be staying for seven months. They did raise some villager eyebrows when they asked for a room with two single beds instead.

Thinking back about it, Reno groaned. "I just thought of something awful." He said.

"What is it?" Asked Rude as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"The town citizens… when we said we wanted one room instead of two… they must've thought we're… gay." Reno ended lamely.

Rude looked out of the window thoughtfully. "Took you some time to figure that out."

Reno stared at Rude for awhile, but decided against continuing the awkward topic. "It's too bad for us, I guess." He sighed. "Be alert at all times, ready for recall back to Midgar should anything arises." He noticed that Rude has been looking out for a long time. "Whatcha staring at?"

Rude cleared his throat a little. "Your little town doesn't sleep at 8 in the evening, apparently."

The redhead jumped out of his bed and glanced out of the window, where one building was lit with warm orange lights and looked lively. "It's that… a bar?" He grinned excitedly. "Come on, Rude! Let's go!" Rude grunted and picked up his jacket again, but Reno was still talking. "Never thought that this backwater place has some night entertainment, huh? Now my seven months will be a little more colourful!" Rude frowned but Reno rattled on. "Maybe while undercover I can play a little with my identity, yo? Be like… Reno the bad boy! Or Reno the daredevil!"

"Reno." Rude said.

"Yeah?" Asked Reno, heading towards the door of their room.

"Doing brainless things like this will not help you forget Meia." Rude replied bluntly.

Reno's hand froze at the doorknob. "When did you figure it out, partner?" He turned around and asked with a resigned smile. He doesn't keep his secrets from Rude, never bothered to hide it, to be exact. Being close partners required them to be a little more than just superficial colleagues.

"Wasn't too hard to figure out." Rude nodded. He squeezed past Reno and opened the door that led to the walkway. "I had one full week to observe you in close proximity."

"Oh man, now THAT sounded gay!" Reno punched Rude's shoulder.

"As gay as your punch."

Reno raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine…" He grumbled. "Let's hit the bar right now!" He raised his eyebrows at his partner. "Is our conversation later going to be about Meia?" He asked. "Because… I don't want to talk about her at all."

Rude grunted. There was no point in arguing further. All it takes is for Reno to drink 15 glasses of beer and Rude will know the whole story by tomorrow morning.

* * *

><p>WHAT A LONG CHAPTER. I sincerely hope that after the shocking news of Reno's kiss and his departure, you guys didn't skim through the rest of the chapter =P<p>

Disclaimers: The "gentlemanly like Rude" is a reference used in "Dying To Live" by writerzRC. And the cartwheel is done by Yazoo in Advent Children. Also, Legend's story is taken from Special Episode of Legend in Before Crisis. As for the standard… well, you guys know the standard disclaimer :P

Blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Please read and review! Enjoy your new year!


	40. Getting Over

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 40 – Getting Over**

With Reno gone, Meia found herself finding all sorts of activities to do. Running in the gym was effective, but she could only run so much before all her muscles stiffened with exhaustion.

Leia shook her head to herself as she watched Meia stretch her legs. Leia could almost imagine the girls' legs silently crying for relief from the 90-minute run. "Meia… Don't you think that running 90 minutes straightaway is a little too strenuous?" She folded her arms and leant against the gym wall. "You've only just increased your running time to 50 minutes just a few weeks ago."

"I'm fine." Meia's grin turned into a grimace as she pushed herself down further. "My stamina is making me not perform to my best standards when I fight. I could do with the extra 30 minutes." She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed slowly to ease the taut strain in her muscles.

"It's futile talking to you." Leia shook her head. "Reno's disappearance is turning you into an exercise-workaholic. You need to get out more… maybe make new friends."

Meia frowned. "I said that I'm fine, Sister Leia." She pulled her lips into a tight line.

The martial artist gave a sigh of resignation and walked out of the gym.

* * *

><p>Meia also found that she had a lot of time to spend with SOLDIER 2nd Class, Kunsel. Their conversations soon became friendly sparring and Meia liked how fighting kept her thoughts of Reno at bay. Soon, she decided to pop by Training Room 49 regularly to find random SOLDIERS to spar with. With the sudden increase of training opportunities, Meia's fighting skills improved, but the knot in her heart was not loosened.<p>

"Bring it on!" Meia grinned, as she watched two SOLDIER (3rd Class) advance towards her. With a few dodges, kicks and an uppercut punch, she subdued one of the SOLDIERs. Turning her attention on the remaining SOLDIER, she swiftly dealt a roundhouse kick and pointed her gun at him, smiling. The SOLDIER raised his hands, smiling back.

Kunsel clapped as he walked over to help up the fallen SOLDIER. "Good job, Meia." He said with an amused tone. "Keep this up and we'll employ you as SOLDIER 1st Class!"

"You jest, Kunsel!" Meia laughed, brushing the dust off her Turk uniform. "SOLDIERs are an elite fighting force scientifically modified to boost their combat skills, there's no way I can win them!" Turning to the two men, she wagged a finger at them. "You two went easy on me, right?"

The men laughed sheepishly. "Okay, you got us. We didn't put our best efforts in the fight, but you didn't make the fight easy for us either. Maybe you'll make it into SOLDIER, but as Third Class." They taunted cheerfully. "Jussttt Third Class."

When the two SOLDIERs left the Training Room, Kunsel walked over to Meia and placed a hand on her forehead. "I admit that distraction is a fairly effective way to handle your problem with Reno," He smiled to himself when he saw her expression turn defensive. "But how long can you tolerate not talking to him?"

Meia pulled a face at him. "He's the one running away." She swatted his hand from her head and walked over to pick up her holster lying on the floor. "I was ready to talk about it, but he volunteered to go on the happy trip to Nibelheim."

"You ran away first, Meia." Kunsel said, earning a look of surprise from his friend. "You were the one who told him to forget about what you've said." Meia clenched her jaw but Kunsel saw that Meia admitted that he was correct. "… You miss him, don't you?"

Meia looked away, but the answer in her heart was as clear as day. "I do."

Kunsel smiled. "Then the fight is not important, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" She slipped the chrome gun into her holster, but removed it again and played with it. "I was pissed with his irresponsible behaviour, but when all that anger is gone… I just want to patch things up with him again."

Kunsel smiled. Meia's actions clearly told him that she was thinking hard. From a long time ago, Kunsel saw that Meia finds solace in her thoughts. They would talk endlessly and suddenly Meia would fall silent and Kunsel saw the darting of her eyes as she tried to figure some revelation. Soon he became used to her sudden silences. As she grew older, her eyes darted lesser when thinking. Still, he noticed that Meia liked to fiddle with things around her whenever she was thinking.

"Perhaps it's true that Brother Reno was not honest with his feelings, but I guess I was too headstrong too." She cocked and uncocked the gun absent-mindedly. Kunsel was glad that gun was empty. "And when I saw that he wasn't going to admit it, I was too arrogant to look like I'm the only one who feels something between us." She looked down at the floor again. "Or maybe Brother Reno only realized his feelings for me recently and is not too sure. That would be unthoughtful of me to pry a positive answer from him, though…" She blushed.

"I know, little Meia." Kunsel walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've been in love with him since the Christmas party."

Meia stared at him skeptically. "… I don't think I love him." She murmured. "And I don't think that my feelings sprouted THAT early…" She spun her handgun dangerously on the floor.

"Meia." When the girl faced him, Kunsel faltered. "Please don't be offended by what I'm going to say next but… what makes you so sure that Reno likes you?" Meia blushed and Kunsel quickly added. "I mean, all he did was treat you extra nice and kiss you." He smiled, a little shyly but there was a mischievous glint in his eye. "I treated you extra nice and I kissed you (on the cheek) as well. So why are you so sure that I don't like you?"

The girl flushed at his words. "You know, Kunsel… You may be right. For all I know, Brother Reno never liked me. Still… it's like a gut feeling inside." She patted her stomach for good measure. "It's like…" She frowned as she tried to think of a similar analogy. "It's like someone telling you that your best friend died. And everyone is sure and convinced that he is dead, but you just… you just _know _inside that somewhere out there, your best friend is still alive." (A/N: Ooh, foreshadowing much?)

"Ahh, I see." Kunsel nodded.

"I'm just… sure that Brother Reno might have feelings for me… Gosh, I sound so arrogant." She chuckled, but stopped abruptly. "Kunsel… you… you don't like me, right?"

The SOLDIER laughed. "Meia… oh Meia…" He shook his head. "You made it so absolute to me right from the very beginning that the only person you can see is Reno. Even if I want to make any advances… I would've probably given up by now." He ruffled Meia's hair. "That being said, no. I assure you that I've never felt any romantic feelings towards you. You're like my sister and I cannot see you as anything more than that."

Meia beamed at his words. "I'm glad that you're still around, Kunsel." She gave Kunsel a hug and wondered why, when she and Reno hugged uncountable times, this was the first time she ever gave her non-Turk friend a hug.

* * *

><p>"Meia."<p>

"Good morning, Sister Alana!" Meia beamed at the neatly-dressed Turk in front of her.

"May I sit here?" She asked. Meia gestured her to sit down at the table. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Meia giggled. With Alana, she found herself replying more politely than with the other Turks.

They ate in silence. Unlike Reno and Cassie, Alana hardly engages herself in frivolous, casual conversation. That was why Meia was shocked at her incoming question.

"Have you gotten over Reno's disappearance?"

Meia almost choked on her scrambled eggs. "Sister Alana!" She stared at her mentor.

"I hope I'm not intruding in your private life by asking this question." Alana said seriously.

Meia shook her head. "It's just that I didn't think you're interested." She dropped into a whisper. "Does everyone know?"

"I believe that most of us are well-informed, thanks to Cassie."

Meia giggled. "It's alright, I'm not offended. There's nothing I can do about it."

Alana nodded. "So you focus all your energy and thoughts on training instead."

Again, the girl stared at Alana, surprised that she noticed. "… Yeah." Meia said sheepishly.

"I've never seen you that hard-working, it's easy to figure out the gaps in-between." Alana answered the question in Meia's heart. "I believe that at your rate of melee sparring with SOLDIER members, I can retire as your mentor and let Leia or Mason take over." She said with a small smile.

Meia laughed. "No way!" She took a sip of her chocolate milk. "Not that I don't like fist combat, but I prefer guns!"

The gun-user mused at her coffee for a while. Finally, she spoke again. "Meia, I've recommended you to take double-guns under Kido."

Meia stared at Alana again. "How many more surprises are you going to give me, Sister Alana?" She grinned.

"I believe that's all."

Meia's cheered immediately. "You… you really think I can do it?"

"Double guns take a lot of precision, more than double of what's required for a single handgun. But I suppose you have lots of time to do it." Alana sipped her coffee. "I'm still your mentor and you can consult me whenever you want."

Meia stood up and bowed low at Alana. "Thank you, Sister Alana, for approving. I won't let you down."

The gun-user smoothed out her blonde hair and motioned Meia to sit down. "Make sure you deliver what you say." Alana replied with a smile.

* * *

><p>23 February 0002<p>

For a small town as Nibelheim, the citizens sure knew how to unwind after a long day of work. The local bar is called "Martin's Bar", opened by Martin Lockhart. Martin is a tall and strong-looking man, with dark chocolate hair and matching eyes. Rude is often amused at how Nibelheim citizens love to wear suspenders. For even the bar owner wears brown suspenders over his simple white long-sleeved shirt.

Reno strode into the bar breezily. "Yo, Martin."

The bar owner grinned when he saw them. "Rude! Reno!" He wiped the bar counter top with a dirty rag and gestured them to sit. "The usual?"

"Yep." Reno grinned. "Scotch on the rocks."

"I'll take Remy's today. Rocks." Rude grunted.

As Martin walked to the back of the counter for his bottles, Rude and Reno made light conversation. Soon, Rude noticed that Reno's eyes drifted away once in a while and even saw him smiling. Much disturbed, Rude turned his head to see a girl smiling and waving at him.

"Hitting on girls again?" Rude asked casually, as he turned back to look at Reno.

"What are you talking about?" Reno smirked. "I've always been flirting with girls since you knew me."

"Not so much in the past few months."

"Here you go!" Martin appeared with their drinks before Reno could say further. "Enjoy, boys."

They lifted their glasses at each other and drank everything in one gulp. Reno placed his glass down with a satisfied sigh. "That's how men should drink, yo."

Rude did not reply. Usually, Reno makes random comments like that and Rude sees no point in responding. Besides, Reno is so talkative, if he's unaware, he can hold an entire conversation by himself. That gives Rude plenty of opportunities to keep his thoughts to himself.

The redhead Turk looked exceptionally thoughtful tonight. He twirled the glass in an aloof manner, examining the ice cubes inside. Then, he looked at Martin. "Boss, another round for us!"

"Coming right up!" Was the bar owner's cheerful rejoinder.

It was after they received their second glass that Rude said. "I thought you liked Meia."

If Reno was thrown back by Rude's straightforward reply, he did not show it. "Whoever gave you that notion, yo?"

"…" Rude concentrated on his second drink. His answer will come without him having to reply Reno.

Reno drank from his glass and sighed. "Meia… I can't fall for her. It's just not right." He lowered the glass and stared at the table for a moment. "Honestly," He said before he finished his glass. "I don't know why I'm here in Nibelheim. I guess I freaked out, yo?" He looked at Martin. "One more round for me and Rude here." When Martin nodded, Reno drummed his fingers on the counter top. "I can't believe I kissed her." He groaned.

"With time, you'll understand better what you need and what you don't need."

Reno took Rude's words with a nod. "Yeah, falling for Meia is definitely what I don't need, yo?"

The bald Turk drank his cognac, not believing that Reno was saying those words. _How could Reno be insensitive to his own emotions?_ It's normal for people to not realize certain things, but Reno's feelings for Meia have been evident since a long while ago. Surely, he was the least bit aware?

_What are you talking about, Rude? This is Reno we're talking about here._

Reno smirked to himself as he finished his sixth cup. In between Rude's thoughts, Reno has called a few glasses before Rude could finish his. "I'm going to get myself wasted, and have fun with the chicks here… Forget about Meia." He mumbled the last part. He looked at Rude. "Maybe I'll find some chick to hook up, yo?"

"… Hook up." Rude repeated. "You mean have one-night-stands with strangers."

Reno shrugged. "Same thing."

_Yes… This is Reno we're talking about. The very same Reno who intends to ruin his life with his foolish decisions._

"Whatever you do, is your choice." Rude simply replied. Reno may be an idiot, but he's not so stupid as to do something that he'll regret for the rest of his life.

* * *

><p>As the night dragged on, Rude realized Reno looked tipsy by the 8th cup of whiskey. <em>We'll go home after this order.<em> He decided.

"Here you go, Mr. Reno and Rude!" Tifa Lockhart, Martin's 15 year-old daughter, brought the drinks to them this time. "You're already on your ninth glass. Geez, control your drinking a little." She smiled.

Rude couldn't figure out why a young girl like Tifa would help her father in the bar, where it was potentially dangerous for a girl like her. They met Tifa shortly after their first visit to the bar. She is cheerful and bubbly, a bright contrast to the gloomy town. She often helps her father in the bar at night and in the day, she doubles up as a tour guide for tourists.

"Hey Tee-fa…" Reno could barely form his words. "Why do you like to dress up like a cowgirl?" He looked around the room lazily. "Ain't many cows in this area."

Rude placed a palm on his head in embarrassment. Tifa, on the other hand, coloured. "I like to wear whatever I like, okay Mr. Reno?" She said smiling, as if she understood the behaviours of drunk people. "Mr. Rude, you gotta make sure that Mr. Reno doesn't disturb my other customers."

"… You have my word." Rude replied.

Tifa waved before she walked away, her cowgirl hat swinging freely around her neck. Rude looked at Tifa and found himself smiling, just a little. _Another one of a kind, I think. But a good girl. _He thought.

From the corner of his eye, Rude saw Reno looking at him. "So…" Reno said, dragging his vowels. "Tifa huh." He commented as he took a good look at the girl.

Rude frowned at Reno briefly, before he realized that Reno seemed to have noticed his slight interest in the girl. Rude returned to his drink. "You are so drunk now."

Reno glanced at him sideways, giving a smirk. "Look who's the pedophile now."

Setting his cup down, Rude sighed. "Yes, but Meia is the same age as Tifa, if you insist Tifa is young."

The redhead chuckled. "Yes, they are the same age, but you're older than me. Much older." He grinned with triumph. "And no one should call me…. Pedo Reno anymore!" He declared loudly, causing lots of stares from neighbouring tables, though their expressions softened when they saw that Reno was drunk.

Rude hurriedly stood up and paid for their drinks. He propped Reno's arm up and muttered. "Whatever you say, Reno. You won't even remember a thing when you wake up."

* * *

><p>When Reno stirred, Rude was quietly reading the morning paper and drinking coffee.<p>

"Damn…" Reno yawned and stretched on his bed. "How did I even get here?" He squinted at Rude.

"I carried you home."

"Gee, bro. Sorry about that." Reno sat up, groaning at the massive headache from his hangover. "That was one crazy night though. What the heck did I do or say?"

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose. "You didn't do or say anything." He fibbed.

* * *

><p>28 February 0002<p>

Meia took a deep breath and lifted two guns at the target.

BANG!

Only one of the bullets found its way to the target. The other embedded itself on the softboard behind the target. Meia sighed. Double guns, like what Alana said, were indeed difficult weapons to master. Her masterhand had no problem with finding its way to the target, but her left hand was having problem. _It would help if I was ambidextrous…_ She thought, but quickly shook off the idea because it reminded her that Reno is ambidextrous.

"You are distracted." Kido's voice suddenly spoke, making her jump.

Meia turned to look at her newest mentor. "Brother Kido!" She exclaimed.

"There's no need to be alarmed." Kido frowned.

"It's just that I didn't hear you walk in!" She stared at the door behind them. _Since when did he even open the door? _She wondered.

"If you were half as focused as you should, you would've heard the door opening." Kido pointed blankly. "You're clearly distracted." He lifted her arm slightly. "Your angle is off. Your grip is too tight. Your posture is frontal, but your arms are parallel." He narrowed his eyes at her. "It's no wonder you haven't been able to fire at the target with two guns for the past week."

Meia grimaced. Kido can be as strict as Alana, perhaps even stricter. However, Kido is unlike Alana, he prefers to target the mistake immediately and expects Meia to correct it.

_Different teachers sure have different teaching styles._ Meia thought.

Not that Kido was a bad teacher. In fact, Meia was glad that she was given the opportunity to learn under Kido. He is an amazing marksman, even in his days as Don Corneo's bodyguard. The legend that you will be dead the minute you see his two guns actually originated while he was under Don Corneo, giving Kido the fear and fame in the Sector 5 slums.

Meia knew that the reason behind his frustration is because she truly hasn't been giving her best efforts to learn. _So much for promising Sister Alana that I won't let her down._

Kido gave a sigh of frustration. "Do not think that you can master a skill just by observing others, and relax and worry about your frivolous thoughts." Meia flushed painfully at his harsh words. "True mastery comes with practice, not imitation."

"I understand, Brother Kido." She said humbly.

Kido looked at her briefly. "We'll stop for today."

Meia stared at the double-gun specialist. "But… But we've barely begun!" She protested.

"There is no point." He deadpanned. "You are distracted by Reno."

Meia groaned. "Not you too, Brother Kido."

"Once you have gotten over whatever that you need to get over, only then I believe you'll improve." Kido gave her a sideways glance. "For all you know, Reno left because he has made the decision to get over you. Are you going to be the only one hoping that things might turn better?"

For a moment, Meia didn't speak. Kido noticed that she was thinking long and hard at his words. Finally, she looked at him. "I'm sure he won't be having any problems getting over me then." She beamed, all previous traces of distraction gone. "Thank you for the advice. I'll get over him and work hard."

Kido faltered, just a slight bit. He nodded and Meia excused herself from the shooting range. As she closed the door behind her, Kido shook his head to himself. He told a white lie to Meia. It may not be the most caring way to help her, but it certainly has a high chance that she'll end her nonsense and focus on training. While Alana is stern on the exterior but soft-hearted on the inside, Kido is not. He strongly believes that most issues have to be dealt with 'the hard way'. His stubborn persistence to do things his way has gotten him into much trouble as a Turk, but Kido nevertheless is one of the best shooters in the Turks, probably in Shinra too.

He saw that Meia knew that it was a white lie, but she believed it anyway, for her own good. _Such child-like professionalism… I wonder where she learnt that from._ He wondered. The truth is, from his observations of Reno's interactions with Meia, whatever he said to Meia is highly unlikely. Not that he intends to tell Meia anytime soon, nor at all. The real decision and following actions still lie with Reno. Meia will just have to work her way with or against it.

The ex-bodyguard unfolded his arms and walked out of the door. It would take some time, but Kido is looking forward to see how Meia will develop from here now.

* * *

><p>In Nibelheim…<p>

Reno was adjusting his shirt. "How do I look?" He turned to Rude.

The bald Turk, who was typing his report for the Nibelheim mission, didn't look impressed. In fact, he barely looked up from his laptop. "Another girl tonight?" He asked.

"Yep!" Reno grinned. "The name's Pam. She's here to visit her aunt and she's from Costa del Sol, and you know what they say, Costa del Sol girls are frisky!"

Rude focused on the computer screen. "…"

"What can I say," Reno said, spreading his arms out. "I'm a charm!"

Finally looking up from the computer, Rude said. "It's just another attempted one-night-stand."

Reno frowned. "It wasn't successful the previous two times because the girl chickened out, okay?"

"…" Rude decided not to argue further with him. "I'll be at the bar till 2 A.M." He tapped a few more keys and looked at Reno. "I'll see you there."

"Sure, sure… Hey, what do you mean by that?" Reno frowned at Rude. "I'll be gone for the whole night!"

Rude shook his head to himself. "How many times must you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Your attempted one-night-stand to ignore your feelings for Meia."

"Just once!" Reno argued back angrily. "Rude, I _need _to forget her!" Rude looked at him with an expression that clearly asked why. "Meia means more to me than I can ever hope to imagine! I don't want my feelings for her to ruin anything!"

"… She likes you."

"She's a kid, Rude!" Reno threw his hands up in exasperation. "What does she know about romance and love?" He sat down at the edge of his bed and glared at the bald Turk. "What if one day she realizes her feelings for me are mere infatuations? She will… she will leave me." Reno covered his eyes, for he couldn't keep his pokerface on much further, in a slip of true emotion. "I'd much rather be with her as her 'Brother Reno' than to be nothing at all."

Rude shook his head, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that the usual devil-may-care Reno was showing more emotions now than he ever showed in his one year before Meia came into the picture.

Whatever Rude thought of saying, he didn't manage to. With just a wave of a hand over his face, Reno was back to looking like his usual aloof and carefree self again. "Well now, partner." Reno grinned. "Imma going off to find my night of passion! And I'll be gone, for the _whole night._" He added for extra measure.

"… Tell that to me tomorrow morning."

Reno gave a mock salute. "I sure will! Have fun moping in your one-sided crush…" He teased but as he walked out of the door, Rude's sharp ears picked up Reno muttering to himself, "Wait, does Rude even like anyone now…"

* * *

><p>At 1:15 in the morning, Rude was still at Martin's bar, just as he said he would. And just like the previous three nights, Reno would appear by the barstools, his face full of sheepish embarrassment camouflaging the true heartache and torture inside. Then Reno would sit down with his partner, order whiskey on the rocks and they would sit at the bar counter till dawn, when the bar closes.<p>

Reno stopped trying to forget her after that.

* * *

><p>Thank you once again for your support! Hope January 2012 has been doing you guys some good so far =D<p>

Author's notes found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Please read and review, it'll mean so much to me!


	41. Jasper

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 41 - Jasper**

22 March 0002

The meeting with Don Corneo was a success. At least that's what Meia thought. The men hastily invited her inside the mansion and none of them dared to even look at her.

_Either we Turks are that feared in Don Corneo's syndicate, or Don Corneo must have given them quite a 'lecture'._ She raised her eyebrows at their brusque politeness, but said nothing, taking full advantage of their fear instead.

As required in her mission, Don Corneo agreed to be a spy for Shinra, scouting for information on anti-Shinra, particularly AVALANCHE's, whereabouts. In return, Shinra will provide him a small little annual grant for his own surivival in the slums.

"Please ensure that no one, and I mean no one, knows of your dealings with Shinra." Meia stood up (a little reluctantly) from the soft, velvet chair that Don Corneo offered. "If nothing else, I'll send a treaty tonight. Your service to Shinra begins tomorrow."

"Wait Miss Meia err…" He saw that when Meia waited patiently for him to continue, it was because he wasn't going to get her last name. "Erm, Miss Meia. I have a question."

Meia looked at him cautiously. "What is it?"

"Why is it that you didn't mention about prostitution?"

Meia stiffened. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you have other agendas apart from Shinra's…" Don Corneo's voice suddenly became deliciously soft, if Meia hadn't peeked at the crimelord to ensure that it was Corneo talking, she would've been much enemoured. "And you are affected by the condition of the girls in the slums, aren't you?"

"…"

"Why not let's strike a deal, huh? Just between you and me." Don Corneo stood up and gestured smoothly. "You appeal for a bigger grant and we'll stop the prostitution in the streets."

Meia drew her gun and without warning, aimed for his head.

"Wait! Wait!" Don Corneo cried, raising his hands in surrender. "I was just joking!"

"Too late." She drawled.

"N-"

BANG!

She fired a shot. The bullet narrowly missed his head, taking a lock of his golden hair as well. Don Corneo sat back on the chair, trembling.

"Just kidding." Meia stuck out her tongue. "I don't like it that you are resorting to prostitution and many other unmentionables." She turned around and headed towards the door. "But I don't give a damn what you do. I am merely taking orders, that's all. Shinra is not your government." She said, holding her gaze with the crimelord long enough to look threatening but not crossing the line. "We are just… business partners, Don Corneo. Good day." She nodded and left, HQ-bound, before her face betrayed her own emotions.

* * *

><p>Meia stood in front of the Shinra building, looking at its magnificent height. <em>Thank goodness we have elevators.<em> She thought. _No amount of morning runs can make climbing fifty stories an easy task. Brother Reno once said that he often climbs the staircases because it helps him clear his troubled mind. I wonder if there are long, fifty-storey staircases in Nibelheim… _

_I wonder if he even thinks about me to have the need to climb staircases._

She stepped into the building. The lobby of Shinra HQ was immaculately clean. Meia could never understand how the lobby can be spotless all the time, when she has never seen any janitors or even robots cleaning. Yet the floors are so shiny she could see her own reflection in them, the railings almost shimmer with cleanliness.

In the distance, she spotted someone approaching Melissa, the Shinra staff who provided free potions to SOLDIERS. Melissa gestured him towards the receptionist and she watched the man walk away.

"Meia!" Melissa called out when she spotted her. Meia beamed, walking over to say hi. "Want to drink a potion today?"

"Nah, I'm well-rested and it's my day off." Meia looked at the man standing by the counter. "Who's that?"

"Some guy who is looking for Tseng."

Meia raised her eyebrows. "We have a visitor today, huh?" She smiled to herself. She could use with more distractions.

"Hey! Hey, young man!" Melissa waved at the man as he walked away from the receptionist. As he approached, Melissa point at Meia. "This girl can bring you to Tseng." Staring at Meia, she asked. "You can, right?"

Meia smiled. "You didn't give me much of a choice, did you?" She looked at the young man and couldn't help but notice how beautiful his hair looked. _What's with men in Shinra and their pretty hair?_ She thought. Reno, Tseng, Kido were people who took extra care to their hair. This man, however, looked like he did nothing to his bountiful blond curls. He has a slender body and his clothes fitted his body perfectly, complimenting his lean physique.

"Hello," Said Meia quickly before the man realized that she was staring. "I'm Meia."

"Hi there!" The man gave a wide smile. "You are able to bring me to Mr. Tseng?"

Meia raised her eyebrows at his response. Something is not… right. "Sure thing." Meia smiled back, albeit a little hesitantly. "Let's just head to the elevator and go find Brother Tseng."

"Thank you so so so so much!" The man grinned and followed behind Meia. "I was very worried that I'll be lost, you know… the building looks so intimidating and I just can't believe how you all wouldn't get lost in such a place…"

As he rattled on, Meia frowned. His personality befuddled her. It was unlike anything she has seen… in anyone. Then, she realized what the 'problem' was. _He's… he's pretty optimistic for a man… in fact, for anyone. _She pursed her lips in conclusion. _He's normal. _She smiled to herself. _Just over-enthusiastic… And talkative… I haven't met anyone like him before. Not in Shinra anyway._

"I'm sure you'll find your way if you ask around…" Meia turned and allowed herself to look at him straight in the face. He has a small face, though his voluminous hair made up for it, and he has cerulean eyes, much like Alana. Despite his chatty nature, his handsome and youthful face was enough to make Meia blush. "What is your name?" She asked quickly.

"Jasper."

"That's a pretty name. But unlike the colour of your eyes." Meia said before she could stop herself. She stared at Jasper but he only laughed good-naturedly.

"Yeah." He grinned. "Got it from my grandfather. He's the only blue-eyed one in the long line of green-eyes."

* * *

><p>(AN: Yes, time to recap who's who in my BC Turks! Why couldn't SquareEnix just fix a name for them!)

Tseng gathered them in the evening, right before dinner. "Turks, I would like you to meet Jasper. He will be your new comrade."

Meia's jaw dropped. "You are here to be a Turk?"

Jasper grinned. "I didn't know you were a Turk too!"

"You know him, Meia?" Cassie asked, but Meia couldn't help but notice how subtle her suspicion was in her tone.

"Yeah. One of the Shinra staff instructed him to follow me." Meia walked towards Jasper. "I'm Meia," She greeted. "I specialize in handguns."

"I'm Jasper. I come from Bone Village." He grinned. "I use the nunchaku."

The weapon name sounded familiar to Meia. _That's Marshall's weapon. _She thought. Coincidentally, Patricia and Marshall went there for their vacation two years ago...

_Nah. _Meia decided. Didn't they say that there was only one boy who knew their identities? _It should be just a coincidence. _

The Turks introduced themselves one by one. At the end of it, Jasper tried to remember them all.

"Cassie, best shot-gun specialist… in her words." He grinned when Cassie was obviously flattered that he remembered. "Cissnei is the shruiken-specialist. Leia and Mason are martial artists. Legend is a bombs-maker. Kido, two-guns. Haato uses the katana. KK, knives. Rod, EMR. Alana and Meia use the handgun. Tseng is the leader." Jasper tapped his head lightly. "I'll try to commit them to memory!"

"Kid's got a good memory." Legend nudged Meia. "Looks like you've competition." Meia grinned, replying that she welcomes the challenge anytime.

"There are two more Turks besides us," Said Tseng to Jasper. "They won't be back till July."

"Patricia and Marshall?" Jasper asked.

The group fell silent on his words. "… You knew Pat and Marshall?" Tseng asked.

"Yeah." He grinned. "They came to Bone Village two years ago. I found out that they were Turks."

"So it's really you..." Alana looked at Jasper. "You were the one that Pat and Marshall met while they were on their holiday." Jasper nodded excitedly.

Mason placed a fist on his hand in realisation. "You're the son of Bone Village's number one mining tycoon. At least, that's what Patricia said."

"She really said that?" Jasper grabbed his hair in embarrassment. "She likes to call me 'the rich kid', it drove me nuts. I was really hoping that I could start my job without you guys knowing my background." Jasper threw his hands up and sighed in resignation.

"But it's impossible." Meia exclaimed, frowning. "They said that they met a "cute little boy"." She stared at Jasper. "No offence, but in what way are you… a little boy?"

"Well, I WAS 16 then." Jasper shrugged. "If you consider that a boy."

Meia scrunched up her face. She isn't even 16 now. Cassie gave a smug smile and nudged the little girl. "Whatever happened to the 'cute' part?"

"Huh?" Meia stared blankly at the shotgun-user.

"Shouldn't your question be something like 'no offence, but in what way are you 'cute'?'" Cassie propped a hand on her face. "Unless you DO think he's cute!"

"Oh please, Sister Cassie!" Meia groaned. "Do we always have to link everything with some romantic connotation?"

Rod pulled a disinterested face as well. "Desperate."

"It'll fast become a tradition." KK laughed before Cassie could argue. "It used to drive Reno crazy… oh." She ended lamely as she realized what she had done.

Jasper, who looked absolutely clueless as to what they were talking about, asked, "Where are they, anyway? Pat and Marshall."

The group didnt say a word, so Tseng broke the news to Jasper. "They died."

Jasper stared at Tseng. "You're joking.. Right?"

"They were killed in action, in Banora."

Jasper allowed the information to sink in. "Wow." He breathed out. He leant against the wall as if he needed support. "Wow." He said again.

"It came as a shock for us too, Jasper." Alana said gravely.

"Yeah... I suppose." Jasper mumbled, his bright blue eyes were clouded with emotions. "It's just that Pat and Marshall were really chummy with me while they were in Bone Village." He gave a weak chuckle. "Kinda the reason why I took up nunchaku and wanted to be a Turk." He smiled at them. "I'm not reconsidering my Turk application, just so you know!" He joked.

"Make sure you don't." Rod smirked. "It's not all riches and fame. Being a Turk is a big pain in the crotch."

"Rod!" Cassie frowned at the ex-gang leader.

"What?" Rod shrugged. "So he's a rich kid, he can't take a few crude words from me?" Rod stretched his lower jaw with a loud crack. "He should be glad that I'm using 'crotch' and not-"

"Alright, I get your point." Cissnei piped in crossly. She smiled at Jasper. "We'll bring you around the Turks' floor after dinner." Jasper grinned brightly and replied that he will be too happy to comply.

"Brother Tseng," Meia turned to the leader of the Turks. "May I give my report on my appointment with Don Corneo after dinner?" Tseng nodded and said that he'll be at his desk till 11 in the evening.

* * *

><p>When Meia was done with her report, it was fast approaching midnight. She walked out of the elevator and down the empty corridor. Then, she overheard some voices in the pantry. Peeking in, she saw Legend, Rod and Jasper inside, finishing up the last of their drinks. Jasper spotted her first and waved cheerfully at her. "Hey guys," She said, walking in. "Where are the girls?"<p>

"They went to sleep." Answered Legend, pulling out a chair for Meia to sit.

"We're going to do that as well," Rod said. "But Jasper is too excited to sleep."

Jasper turned to Meia, his eyes shining. "It's my first time in Midgar alone, of course I'm too excited to sleep!" Meia laughed. His enthusiastic behavior is a refreshing change to the usually-serious Shinra atmosphere.

"Well, I suggest you sleep soon, little one." Rod said. "You'll have a long combat training session with Mason and Leia tomorrow."

"Little one, huh?" Meia grinned. "Didn't think you are that senior to call him 'little one'."

Rod shrugged. "He's younger than me in age and seniority. Isn't it?" He threw a sideway glance at Jasper.

Jasper gulped. "Yes, of course I wouldn't want to show disrespect to my seniors!"

Meia guffawed. "Senior?" She narrowed her eyes at Rod. "In that case you should be respectful to me, isn't it?"

Legend chortled. "And you twerps should practically bow to me!"

Meia agreed, laughing. She turned to Jasper. "Don't mind Brother Rod." Meia assured the new Turk.

Rod made a face. "When I become the leader of you lot..."

"IF you become leader of us lot." Legend snorted. "Okay, little one, you've got to head down to Junon tomorrow, is it not?"

Rod gave a sinister smile. "Yes, pops."

"Careful I don't accidentally break your neck while walking down the staircase." Legend rejoined good-naturedly, gesturing the spiral staircase in the pantry that directly links to the male's rooms below.

As the two Turks disappeared below the spiral staircase, Jasper looked at Meia. "Meia. Do you have anything on tomorrow?"

"No," replied Meia. "Nothing for me for the next few days."

Jasper clapped his hands excitedly. "Then accompany me around Midgar tonight?"

"What? Tonight?"

"Please, please please?" Jasper placed his hands together and rubbed them together.

"Well… if you insist, Brother Jasper!" Meia smiled.

Jasper stretched his hands out, "Please call me Jasper!" He said.

"But… I call everyone brother and sister!" She said.

"Well, I insist that you call me Jasper."

Meia made a face. "Then er... I insist more that I call you Brother Jasper!" She then smacked her forehead. Somehow everything she says around this new Turk seems stupid. Jasper didn't seem to notice, neither did he argue further. More likely because at that moment he looked extremely excited to explore Midgar.

* * *

><p>At midnight, Midgar was quiet, save the sounds of traffic in the distance. Meia brought Jasper to every section of Sector 8. It was too late to walk to the other sectors. Also, she didn't want to go back to Sector 7. She was not ready to go, not when the painful memory is still fresh in her mind. Eventually he looked satisfied with her detailed tour and they stopped at the fountain in the Sector 8 main square.<p>

"Midgar is as pretty as it looks, from above." Jasper said with a sigh.

Meia looked at him. "You came here through flight?"

Jasper stared back at her blankly. "Through my father's airship. How else can we reach Midgar?"

Meia tried not to laugh. Jasper clearly hasn't seen much of the world, but tonight was not the night to point that out. Besides, he'll learn the ways of the world eventually.

She sat beside the fountain. "Jasper." She spoke a little louder because of the sounds of the fountain. When the blond looked at her, she quickly asked before she was tempted to stare into his eyes. "Why do you want to be a Turk?"

Jasper smiled. "Tell me, Meia." He stretched his arms in front of him. "Why did you become a Turk?"

Meia frowned. There were many reasons why she wanted to be a Turk. So she settled for the easiest reason. "I've long admired Vincent Valentine and I thought coming here to be a Turk meant that I can see him."

"My reason is about the same." Jasper answered coolly. "Patricia and Marshall were one of the biggest milestones in my life. They taught me that life is much bigger than the town I live in. They taught me things, many things that my family never bothered to explain."

"Like?" Meia peered at him.

The corners of his mouth twitched. "How to slide down a muddy slope with a blazer jacket." Jasper grinned and sat down beside her. "It was Patricia's jacket. My mom was furious to find out that I used someone's clothing as a sled."

Meia grinned back. "Sounds like fun."

"Yeah, it's not as if I had a bad past or anything, like some of the stories I've heard tonight." He chuckled. "Just that life was a routine, mundane thing till I met Patricia and Marshall." He stared at the dark sky above. "So I wanted to be a Turk, you know? See the world more."

Mei sat quietly. "I never had much of a chance to know Sister Patricia and Brother Marshall well." She said softly.

Jasper placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure they think you're a sweet girl!" He grinned and she smiled back. "So uh, I've been hearing about you and this guy called Reno." Meia stiffened at the mention of his name. "Things seem pretty tense whenever the other Turks mentioned him in the pantry." Jasper cocked his head to the side. "Is there anything I should be aware of him about?"

_No, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Brother Reno! He's an awesome guy, I'm sure you'll love him and Brother Rude as well. _

That was what Meia should've said. Instead, she spent the next few minutes telling the newest colleague about what had happened. Jasper listened intently to her woes and tried to look serious.

Meia bit her lip as she ended. "You know, I shouldn't have bothered you with my problems."

"No no!" Jasper tried to argue. "I'm more than happy to listen." He nodded. "If you need a listening ear or some sort of distraction, I'll be right here!"

Meia nodded cheerfully. "You sure provide a good distraction." Then, she flushed as she realized what it could mean. "I mean, it's not like you are a distraction from my feelings for Brother Reno! Oh dear now I'm really insulting you! It's not that you're not good-looking enough to be a distraction either! You are really quite handsom- I mean... Oh Gaia!" She groaned. "I don't usually say things like that!" She hid her face behind her hands in embarrassment. "Gosh, I sound like a dweeb in front of you!"

She saw Jasper hold her hair and ask softly, "Does it bother you?"

Meia looked at his face, full of amusement and... Flirtatiousness?

Before she could figure it out, Jasper flicked her forehead. "Ow!" She rubbed her forehead as he jumped up from where he was sitting.

"Just kidding!" He grinned, bouncing on his heels.

Meia frowned. "You suck." She murmured.

Jasper stuck his tongue out at her. "Race you back to HQ." He grinned. Meia wrinkled her nose, smiling.

"You're on."

* * *

><p><em>Time is the best medicine.<em> Meia decided. _And lots of distractions._

With her energy spent on ensuring that the newest member, Jasper, feels welcome, Meia barely had enough time to think about anything else. Within two months since his first appearance, Jasper was given his first mission to patrol Midgar Sector 8. Meia and Mason observed his patrolling and both were happy that Jasper performed splendidly, albeit a little over-enthusiastic.

"The pots calling the kettle black." Was Haato's snide remark at Meia and Mason's assessment.

There were many things to discover about Jasper. Despite being scrawny-looking, he is extremely agile and uses his nunchakus effortlessly. He single-handedly defeated Rod in a friendly spar, winning the admiration of everyone except the sore loser Rod. Jasper's overly-warm nature and bubbly personality was something Meia has never seen in anyone before.

"Don't look too surprised, little Meia." Grinned Cissnei. "You were something like that when you first came here."

Meia raised an eyebrow at her. "I was?"

The shruiken specialist nodded. "You really befuddled us. At least Jasper's personality is expected, seeing that he is of such a background. You..." Cissnei gave a twisted smile. "You are a weirdo."

"... Really?" Meia asked, crestfallen.

"It isn't such a bad thing... Being a weirdo." Cissnei patted her head and walked past her, but not before saying, "We Turks are all made up of weirdos, and we can't seem to attract normal people." Meia grinned at Cissnei's words. Indeed, the Turks were a separate species on their own.

True to Cissnei's word, the Turks warmed up to Jasper and his amiable countenance. There wasn't one Turk who felt apprehensive by his presence.

Soon, Meia found herself less bothered by her problems and found it easier to smile genuinely. Not that she has forgotten about Reno but she didn't know what to do with him and has decided to keave things like that. Reno after all left her in quite an emotional mess and it will take Meia a long time to recover. The recovery has gotten off to a bad start in the beginning, but slowly, even the most broken of hearts will begin to heal.

* * *

><p>Finally, all the Turks that are created by SquareEnix are here. If you're really confused about the names, pop by my blog at aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com. I've included a list of the names for this story, and my author's notes are there too :)<p>

Thank you for your time.


	42. A Moment of Weakness

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Sorry for the late upload! FanfictionNet had some problems saving the file and I forgot to do it again this morning!

**Chapter 42 – A Moment of Weakness**

10 May 0002

Rude stretched his arms and stepped out of his bed. He saw that Reno's bed was empty, but figured that it was probably because Reno went for a morning walk. Rude walked towards the bathroom, yawning. The Nibelheim mission was progressing, at the very least. The actual investigation of the Mako Reactor will only take less than a week. Believe it or not, the massive amount of time given was to allow them to win the complete trust of the Nibelheim citizens before they could roam around the area without arousing suspicion. The fresh change of environment did Reno some good. Rude noted that Reno no longer made brainless advances at girls in the rationale of forgetting Meia and no longer searched for amorous encounters.

On the other hand, Rude found himself nursing affection for the bar-owner's daughter, Tifa Lockhart. However, he was still clear-headed enough not to let his newfound feelings affect his mission. At the very least, he no longer allowed himself to, in a moment of weakness, be intoxicated. Not that Rude was ever drunk, he never permitted himself to lose control of his thoughts and actions. Who knows what will happen if he gets drunk?

The matte white PHS on the table vibrated and he reached for it, flipping it open. They often received updates from Tseng on a weekly basis. Tseng gave simple and concise updates on happenings in the Shinra HQ. In return, Rude and Reno sent weekly reports via email and phone calls. The mission has no breakthrough yet, but constant updates are crucial nevertheless.

Rude's ears picked up the sounds of footsteps along the corridor and recognized the owner immediately. When the door opened, Rude's eyes were still fixed on the screen, though he greeted the 'intruder' with a grunt.

"What's new on the 'Tseng Weekly'?" Reno said as he breezed in with a bag of toast and a portable coffee tray in his hands. Rude thought 'Tseng Weekly' was a stupid name but he didn't tell Reno. Yet.

"SOLDIER union executive, Lazard Deusericus." Rude answered. "Missing since two nights ago."

Reno set the items on the table and adjusted his goggles a little. "No joke. He's a big guy in SOLDIER. What did he do?"

"It is believed that he may be secretly funding Dr. Hollander." Rude took a piece of toast and ate it. "Though there are no evidences pointing towards that. The Turks are activated to search for him, and we are to remain in our posts and alert HQ if we see signs of Director Lazard near Nibelheim."

"No action again huh?" Reno pulled a tight smile. Rude grunted in reply. "Same old, same old." Reno waved resignedly.

"We are to remain undercover," Explained Rude. "If we are involved in the pursuit of Director Lazard, the citizens will know of our identities."

The redhead shrugged out of his windbreaker. Though it's early summer, Nibelheim retained its cool, mountainous climate. "Yeah, yeah. I know." Reno yawned. He leant against his chair and stared out of the inn window, into the distant mountains. "Say, let's take a hike today, yo?" Reno grabbed a piece of toast from the paper bag and bit into it. "About time we start exploring near the Mako Reactor." Reno said between munches.

Rude nodded. "The citizens hike early in the morning, let's go in the late afternoon. Then we'll go to Martin's at night."

"Absolutely." Agreed Reno, sweeping the crumbs off his pants. "Can't have them suspecting the newest regulars when they don't appear for no particular reason."

* * *

><p>17 June 0002, 2323 hours. Nibelheim.<p>

Reno shrugged off his windbreaker as they entered their room. "Did you see the look on Eddie's face when I won in that arm-wrestling?" Rude nodded, giving Reno a cue to continue. "Serves him right for calling me a scrawny-boy!" Reno grinned, lassoing his windbreaker in victory. "… What time is it anyway?" He asked Rude.

"... 11.23 pm." Rude smirked. "We're back earlier than I thought."

"Yeah, Eddie didn't look too happy, so well... We give him some space, yo?" Reno gave his shoulders a good stretch. "I think I'm gonna get a good shower and then- Oh look, a mail from Tseng. What's he messaging us at such..." Reno trailed off and stared at his PHS.

Rude frowned at his partner's sudden change in expression. "What is it?"

Reno put his phone down and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "Pack your bags, partner." He said grimly. "Monsters have escaped from Hojo's laboratory." He stared at his Turk blazer, hanging in the closet. "We're going back to HQ."

* * *

><p>Earlier on, in Shinra HQ<p>

Meia ran down the basement corridors of the Shinra Building. "For the life of me, why are the monsters here?" She grumbled to herself. "They escaped from the 60th floor for goodness' sake!" She held her chrome gun in her right hand, but gripped the Shinra standard handgun in her left hand tighter. To her surprise, Kido tossed her the gun right before they left for their designated positions, signalling his approval for her to try using the double guns for the mission. Meia knew she wasn't superb at using both guns for combat, but she was grateful that Kido had faith in her ability.

She walked down the metallic corridors apprehensively. Whatever fatigue she had earlier was erased by the severity of the situation. Someone had released the specimens that were kept in Hojo's laboratory. Most of the experimental creatures were kept in the general Science Department on the 67th Floor. If these creatures were kept in Hojo's laboratory, they must be highly confidential.

_And highly dangerous._

Meia gulped. The issue was extremely confidential, therefore only the Turks were dispatched to handle the situation. She couldn't figure out who could've possibly done this. It must be someone of a high ranking in Shinra, because Hojo's lab granted limited access. Also, she felt a tinge of suspicion as she pondered if the breakout of monsters was somehow linked to AVALANCHE. Planning a disturbance of such degree to the headquarters required manpower, resources...

_And an insider spy. _

"Meia, look out!" Someone shouted behind her. She looked up to see a Shinra Cutter Machine rearing at her. Meia shrieked and fired a shot at it. The robot looked unaffected and brought down its menancing chainsaw at her head.

Meia rolled to the right, narrowly missing the fatal blades. "Too close!" She frowned. "I'm SO going to complain to Security about their stupid…" She raised her hand to summon a Lightning spell but the robot was quicker. It swung at her, knocking her out of orientation. Meia flew across the room and her heart sank when she felt her ankle crack.

She raised her hand-

"Thundaga!" A voice that was not hers bellowed. The machine swung around as the lightning struck it, giving Meia a clear view of her ally.

"Jasper!" She beamed.

"Stay there!" He instructed. "I'll take care of this!" The nunchaku specialist was agile and sharp. His fight with the Cutter Machine soon ended as the robot crumbled under his attacks. Jasper ran over to Meia. "Are you alright?" He asked anxiously.

Meia lifted a thumbs up. "I'll be out of action though, thanks to Security's hindering robots." She gestured her ankle, swollen but not red. "Seriously, are they with us or against us?" Jasper chuckled lightly. "Thank goodness the Cure Materia removed the pain and reduced the swelling." She prodded at the swollen ankle, but felt no pain because of the Materia.

"But when the Materia wears off, the fracture will worsen." Jasper frowned. "We need to get you to the infirmary."

Meia shook her head. "The monsters here are not captured yet." She tried to stand up. "I can live with a little fracture."

"Oh no you don't." Jasper held her by her shoulders. "You'll really suffer later. Come on, I'll get backup here."

_Why is he so stubborn? _She frowned. "I said I'm fine, why are you hindering me in my assignment?"

"I'm worried for you, Meia." Replied the new Turk seriously. "If you get seriously injured, I'll be worried for you."

"I'm not a child anymore! Besides, on what grounds do you need to do this?" Meia asked hotly.

She saw him hesitate at her question. "What are you talking about?" He stuttered.

"You're not my supervisor, neither are you my partner," Meia frowned. Why was Jasper acting so awkward all of a sudden?

"I can't show my concern?" Jasper frowned.

Meia faltered. "I mean, we're in a situation where we can use all the manpower we have. Besides," She said, frowning at him. "Weren't you supposed to be checking the lobby for signs of disturbances?"

"I did." He answered. "When I was done, I thought I could help. And it's a good thing I did." He glanced at her ankle. "No, I won't let you fight while you are this injured." Jasper shook his head. "Meia, be nice and listen to me."

Meia groaned. "I won't die! Why are you being so stub-"

Her words were cut off when she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Stupid girl." Jasper's usually-cheerful voice sounded... Embarrassed. "I'm worried for you on the grounds that I like you."

Then, his words sank into her heart. Meia pushed away Jasper in surprise and stared at him. "I..." She blushed at the sight of his face. "Why would you..." Meia shook her head. "You know that I like Brother Reno!" She protested, almost angrily.

Jasper reached for her hair and combed through the strands gently. "I know." He said sadly. "But before I could stop myself, I was attracted to you." He released her hair and scratched his head sheepishly. "I know it's only been three, four months since I first met you, but..." He stared into her eyes and Meia found it hard to tear away from his piercing yet sincere gaze. "But I saw how sad you sound every time you mentioned Reno, how wistful you look whenever you looked out of the window for signs of a helicopter..." His eyes carried a determination to protect. "I wonder to myself why is it that the irresponsible jerk, Reno, is the one receiving all your pining… and not me."

"Jasper..." Meia said softly. Does she look like she hasn't gotten over Reno, despite it being almost 4 months since the incident? _But that's the truth. _She said to herself. _I can't get over Brother Reno, no matter how hard I try. I can put it aside to focus on my job, but in the end…_

The blond held Meia's hand gently and Meia didn't resist, only looking at the handsome nunchaku-Turk. "Meia," Jasper said. "All I ask is one chance." He squeezed her hand a little tighter. "One chance to be the one who'll make you happy. Not that Reno guy. That guy will make you wait and wait and wait in vain... And you may not even get the answer you want."

_Jasper... _Meia bit her lip and felt at loss. Jasper had been beside her the past four months, taking away her worries and sadness without trying…

_No._ She said to herself firmly. _I can't let myself be swayed. Even if the chance of Brother Reno reciprocating is… zero. I'm not like that. But still… _Meia allowed herself to look at Jasper again, enamoured by his beautiful masculine features. _Jasper caught me in a moment of weakness. I really need… _

"Goodness, I'm so sorry to put you in such a situation, when you're injured and all!" Jasper quickly changed the subject before Meia felt her heart give in. In an instant, Jasper was his bright, cheerful self again. "Don't mind what I say for now, won't you come with me to the infirmary?" Jasper tugged the hand that he was holding.

_Did I just… almost… Give up my feelings for Brother Reno? _Meia wondered to herself. _So much for determination and faithfulness. Not like I need to be but… _

If Jasper hadn't ended the subject so abruptly, maybe just given her a few minutes more… perhaps Meia would've decided to let go and move on.

_I definitely need more time. Maybe tomorrow, or something. Something to make me not so hot-headed now. _Feeling a little overwhelmed by her own thoughts, Meia only nodded and allowed Jasper to piggyback her out of the basement corridors.

* * *

><p>Within 15 minutes, Reno and Rude left a short message with the innkeeper saying they've decided to go on a night trek (coincidentally explaining why they left Martin's Bar early). Bringing their simple haversacks and trekking gear, they slipped out of Nibelheim quietly. Tseng had promised that they would be back before noon so they didn't have to prepare much. An hour's hike away from the town, Reno and Rude stripped their casual clothings and put on their identity: The black Turk suits.<p>

"Man, it's been months since I wore the suit." Reno zipped up his pants. "I think I gained some weight."

Rude stared at Reno's waist. The black pants still hung from Reno's waist loosely. "... The transport will arrive in five." Rude said as he pushed his sunglasses against his nose and tugged his combat gloves.

When their transport arrived, it wasn't a simple helicopter that the Turks used, but a standard Shinra airship. Unlike the helicopter, the Shinra airship is well-known for its large capacity and its speed (said to be five times faster), only SOLDIERS and higher executives used them for quick transport options.

"They've activated the airship to pick us up? They must be desperate for backup!" Reno joked.

"... Don't be distracted when we reach Midgar." Rude said.

Reno stared at him briefly before he understood what his partner truly meant. "Oh. That." He mumbled as he boarded the airship.

"We'll reach Midgar in an hour." The infantryman who was piloting announced.

The bald Turk nodded. "Understood." Rude decided against asking more of the pilot. The recall back to HQ was quiet and urgent. Chances are, this shouldn't be a simple monster escape. There might be deeper issues that are too confidential for the ears of others. Turning to the co-pilot seat, he said. "Reno, we'll drop by your room to pick up the Fire Materia... Reno?"

But the redhead wasn't listening to him. In fact, Reno was quiet, really quiet. It surprised Rude enough when Reno didn't argue to take the pilot seat. The redheaded Turk only leant on his armrest, staring out of the window into the pitch-black darkness.

Rude grunted, getting his partner's attention. He saw Reno jerk a little at the grunt. Then he heard Reno ask, "What did you say?"

"... I said we'll drop by your room first when we reach HQ."

"Oh, yeah yeah."

_Of course he's distracted. _Rude folded his arms. _There's a high chance he'll run into Meia. _Rude was not concerned though. He trusted that the both of them will be professional not to let their issues affect the assignment.

In the pilot seat, infantryman Ian gulped. This was exactly why he wanted to specialize in piloting a helicopter! He has long admired the well-known 'Fastest of the Turks', especially in his piloting. Under the encouragement of his peers who claimed that Reno was most passionate and helpful when they were assigned together with him, Ian mustered the courage to take the piloting exams. So when Ian passed his exams and was given the important task of fetching Reno and Rude from Nibelheim (no further information was given), Ian knew that a chance like this won't come again so soon.

_I should talk to him first. _Ian thought. _He looks a little moody though, so he may reject my request for help. But I must not be afraid. _

"Mr. Reno..." Ian said, a little softly. "I've long admired your piloting skills-"

"I don't feel like talking." Was the Turk's curt reply.

The rejection came faster than he thought. "S-S... S-sorry!" Ian exclaimed. "I don't mean to disturb you! It's just that I'm so excited that I have the chance to learn more about piloting from you that-"

Reno groaned. "Why don't you just shut the f-"

"Reno." Ian heard the other Turk, Rude, say with a disapproving tone.

Reno narrowed his eyes but did not turn around to argue. "Tch." Was all he did to acknowledge Rude's words.

Ian focused again to the front. _I guess it's not my luck_. He thought gloomily.

* * *

><p>2349 hours, Shinra HQ<p>

Even though he was the main leader of the Turks, taking commands directly Veld, there were situations where Tseng had to handle the problem personally. This was such a mission.

Tseng checked his watch. It was close to midnight. He hoped sincerely that Reno and Rude will arrive on time. Granted that the Shinra Airship was fast enough, they should reach before 0100 hours. Tseng didn't want the Nibelheim team to return unnecessarily. However, someone needed to be in charge, because Tseng foresaw the severity of the situation required him to move personally in the frontlines. Reno's usual lackadaisical attitude was never shown in his work and Tseng needed that focus to be in charge. Tseng inwardly grumbled about Shinra's lack of flexibility to have someone apart from Reno take charge. He earnestly believed that the Turks were capable of organizing themselves, under the leadership of another Turk, or working on their own. However, his unspoken words will always be said in the back of his mind, behind the pokerface he plastered on when at work.

… _There's no time to waste. _He decided. _One minute of hesitation equals to one more chance of an information leak. In the limited time before the Shinra staff arrives for work, we don't have time nor manpower to handle any mishaps. _He cursed at the perfect timing AVALANCHE had chosen to attack. Almost half of his Turks were out of headquarters searching for former SOLDIER executive Director Lazard.

Tseng started to run down the corridor but he didn't have to run for long, his PHS rang. The Wutain Turk reached for his device and answered the call.

"Tseng." Veld's solemn, no-nonsense tone was unmistakable. "We've got an emergency situation."

"Sir." Tseng greeted, throwing occasional glances to his surroundings for lurking escaped species. Even when receiving updates from Veld, he cannot be careless. "What is it this time?"

"AVALANCHE has gotten Professor Hojo."

Tseng widened his eyes at the news. "Hojo?" He exclaimed. _How did that happen? _Tseng thought_. _

As if he could hear his thoughts, Veld answered Tseng's unspoken question. "It seems that AVALANCHE got into the building somehow."

This time, Tseng voiced his thoughts out. "That's unbelievable. They bypassed building security?"

"That's what it looks like." The situation of the enemy infiltrating the headquarters didn't faze the head of the Turks at all. "There may be more of them somewhere in the building. They may try to sabotage or steal information on our important projects."

"Damn it…" Tseng cursed. It was needless to say how important Shinra's information was. In the event of an information leak… the jobs for the Turks will increase exponentially. As if they needed that right now. "I'll take the data down to the shelter."

Veld's word was final. "Hurry."

* * *

><p>18 June 0002, 0115 hours. Shinra HQ.<p>

Reno stepped out of the elevator at Floor something. _It's been a long time. _He thought. _I wonder how's everyone doing? _

"Let's head to my room." Said Reno to Rude. "The Fire Materia is in the cabinet." Rude grunted in response.

They walked past the pantry and Reno spotted a familiar face. "Yo, Mason." He grinned and walked into pantry, ignoring the disapproving grunt from Rude.

"Reno!" Mason exclaimed. He stood up from his chair and gave both Reno and Rude a brotherly hug. "When did you come back?"

"Just." Rude replied.

"We're back because Tseng wants us to help out with the Hojo issue." Reno looked around. "Things look bad. Where's everyone?"

"Everywhere." Mason replied good-naturedly. "I doubt you'll have time to catch up with any of us, but..." Here Mason's voice dropped to a whisper. "If I were you, I'd patch things up with Meia first."

Reno stiffened at the mention of her name. "It's none of your business." He mumbled.

"True true, but you never know when you'll regret the decision to delay your eventual reconciliation." Mason grinned.

"I'm sure Reno will have the time for that, when we are done with everything here." Rude quipped, glancing at Reno, who was looking most uncomfortable.

"What's going on down here?" They heard Cissnei's voice from the pantry above. Soon they heard her footsteps walking down the spiral staircase. "I thought I heard Rude's voice..." She trailed off when she saw the people in the pantry.

"Cissnei." Rude acknowledged with a nod.

"What's up?" Reno raised a hand and winked. "You look like you've seen a ghost or worse, yo?"

Cissnei stormed up to Reno and gave him a slap on the cheek. Just that she wasn't fast enough. Reno quickly deflected her attack and counterattacked, making her jump back for balance.

"Whoa, Ciss, you don't usually greet me like that." Reno frowned, rubbing his arm. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Cissnei asked, her eyes flashing with irritation. "YOU'RE wrong, that's what!

"The hell you talking about?" Reno, now setting up his defenses, shot back.

"Meia!" Cissnei retorted back. "She was so upset because you handled that kiss so badly!"

"Hey," Growled Reno. "I didn't come back for a lecture."

Cissnei stepped forward and stared at him. "Yeah, but at least answer me this: Do you like Meia?" She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Because if you don't, I suggest you stop wasting her time and tell her what you think." She paused, as if suddenly aware that she was behaving out of her normal 'quiet girl' behavior. "… And apologise for leading her on." She ended quietly.

Reno scratched his head. That was what he asked himself too many times in the past six months, since his first discovered his budding feelings for the girl. He forced his thoughts of her out of his head, but that proved shamefully futile. He tried to avoid her but she managed to find him and how could he reject any of her requests?

Honestly, when he kissed her, it was an act of impulse.

_Lustful impulse._ His mind sneered at his behaviour.

_It was just me in a moment of weakness._ Reno argued back calmly, though he cannot deny what else he would've done if Meia hadn't chosen that moment to say his name. When Meia said that she liked him...

"Reno!" Reno glanced up, to see Cissnei's face, full of subtle, but evident, annoyance. "Don't daydream!" She folded her arms and stared at him.

"I..." Reno frowned. "It's not the time to discuss this. We'll talk after the Hojo issue is settled."

Rude's PHS rang and the Turk answered it. "Tseng. ... We're heading to Reno's room to take some Materia... Yes sir."

He ended the phone call and said to Reno. "Tseng wants to see us in the office in ten." He looked at Cissnei. "We have to go."

"But Reno has yet to answer me!" Cissnei argued but Mason held her back gently.

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to discuss this later, Cissnei." Assured Mason. Reno threw Mason a grateful look, but the burly martial artist did not see it. Waving goodbye, Reno walked out of the pantry.

After Rude, following Reno, left the pantry, he heard Cissnei groan in exasperation. "Why is it that such an adorable person like Meia would fall for... HIM!"

Rude could've sworn Reno replied something nasty under his breath.

* * *

><p>Thank you for your time. It has been a pleasure writing for so many of you =) Please read and review!<p>

Now, if you're feeling bored, you may want to check out "**The Skies Over Wutai**" by PhantomPanther. It's a new story but I thought the story is not too shabby so far. I suspect it's OcxCloud but oh well, what's one more OC story? :D (P.S: I'm not commissioned to advertise for her, though she is a reviewer of mine!)


	43. Reciprocation

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 43 – Reciprocation**

18 June 0002, 0320 hours, Shinra Headquarters.

Though the monster outbreak was serious, the Turks managed to contain most of the monsters. The other monsters which escaped out of the Shinra Building will be subdued by SOLDIER.

The main mission of confronting AVALANCHE and saving Professor Hojo was given to Rodzen and Cassie, who moved in perfect coordination with Tseng. Still, they suffered some when Rod was forced into combat with AVALANCHE's field leader, Shears. Things did not improve when AVALANCHE released one of their recently experimented products against the Turks.

"No doubt we would've been dead if not for Sephiroth's arrival." Cassie said sullenly. She prided herself most in her fighting capabilities against monsters. The need for SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth to interfere did not boost her ego at all. "If I were closer to AVALANCHE's dragon, I would've defeated it down single-handedly." She stared at Rod. "It's your fault that you didn't take it down."

Rod glared at her but winced when she pressed an icepack against his swollen cheek, a result of a punch from Shears. "As if you can take it down yourself." He cursed at the stinging sensation, taking the ice pack from the shotgun-Turk.

"At least Professor Hojo is safe." Alana said from the corner, watching the two of them nurse each other's wounds with small interest. "It's hypocrisy that the anti-Shinra group AVALANCHE admires Professor Hojo." She said no further. After all, the opinions of a Turk meant nothing to the company.

"Tch, I wouldn't have given a hoot about Glasses-Hojo," Snorted Rod. "If I wasn't under orders. There's nothing pleasant about his messed-up face."

Alana frowned. "Professor Hojo is a highly-respected scientist in Shinra. Not only is his research useful, but exclusive." She stared at him and pursed her lips lightly. "He wouldn't hesitate to give information about Shinra if he was offered better prospects." Rod scoffed and mumbled that he knew.

"Heard Reno's back," Cassie said, glancing out of the window in the Turks' Lounge. "Where is he?"

"I believe he's preparing to return to Nibelheim."

Rod whistled. "They didn't need to come back, actually." He grinned slightly, running his fingers through his hair. "There was more than enough help."

"Not really." Alana explained. "Kido, Haato, KK and Leia were sent to Wutai and Corel just yesterday, so it's just us if not for Reno and Rude. Also, Tseng was activated to personally deal with the matter. He needed Reno back as third in-command."

Cassie sighed. "Whatever, today's assignment was pretty boring!" She scrunched her nose. Ever the battle freak, Cassie rates her missions by difficulty level and tries to outdo herself every time. "Say, where are the rest anyway?"

Rod shrugged and said that he had no clue. They sat in silence till Mason walked into the lounge. "Yo, bros!" He grinned broadly. "Glad to see you guys are alive! Man!" He shook his head and stretched himself. "Professor Hojo sure knows how to make 'em!" He groaned and lifted his shirt to show bruises on his torso.

"You should've seen the Shinra machines. They went berserk." Alana said stiffly. She rubbed her aching shoulders, wondering when was the last time she felt so tired.

The lounge doors opened, revealing an equally-tired Cissnei. "Hey." She said quietly.

"You look pretty beat up, too." Rod observed.

"Yeah, but things are in control up there." Cissnei pointed to the ceiling, implying that the most of the test specimens were recaptured and locked up in their respective places. "Has anyone seen Reno?"

Mason shook his head. "He's not around here."

"I believe Reno and Rude are preparing to return to Nibelheim." Alana answered.

Cissnei stared at Alana. "That son of a-" She stopped herself. "He still owes me an explanation." She muttered quietly.

"To what?" Rod asked, bewildered.

"To Meia, that's what." Explained Mason. A look of understanding passed between the Turks. They knew enough about what happened between Reno and Meia to ask further.

"I'm going to find Reno now." Cissnei said firmly. With that, she disappeared out of the doors again.

"Speaking of Reno, where's Meia?" Mason asked. "And speaking of Meia, where's Jasper?"

Rod shrugged. "Beats me. That Jasper has been hanging out with Meia pretty often."

"It's good to find a friend in the Turks, isn't it?" The martial-artist smiled.

Cassie frowned, staring at the floor. Then she gave a devilish smile. "Or maybe…"

"Aw come on, Cassie!" Rod interrupted. "You and your romantic junk!"

"Really?" She stared at Rod. "Romantic junk? Then explain this, Rodzen. When you first entered Shinra, did you find yourself sticking to any particular girl?"

To Cassie's surprise, Rod choked at her question. "Not… Of course not!" He frowned back at her. "I'm my own dude and finding buddies aren't my kinda thing." He waved off her question.

"Exactly. I know Jasper is really friendly, but he could've found a better buddy like…" Cassie trailed off as she considered the rest of the Turks. "Well anyway, it's just a suggestion. All I'm saying is… It's not impossible." She shrugged.

"All I'm saying is it IS impossible." Rod rolled his eyes. "Are the only things filling your head self-challenges and romantic nonsense?" He asked, prodding her head lightly.

Cassie gave a sideway glance at Rod. "You wanna challenge me, little boy?" She proded Rod's swollen cheek rudely, receiving a pained growl in return.

"Here we go again." Mason sighed, aside.

"I accept a challenge anytime from you, old lady." Rod smirked at Cassie.

"Hey!" Cassie jumped from the sofa and propped her shotgun at Rod. "I'm only 21, kiddo!" She sneered. "If you wanna call me an 'old lady', at least make sure you win me in a challenge!"

"Cassie, Rod." Alana's disapproving voice was futile against the adrenaline-filled idiots. She sighed to herself. Disagreement among the Turks was not a rarity, but Cassie and Rod engaged themselves in childish banters far too often. If their squabbling didn't often result in physical combat and injuries, anyone else would've thought they were flirting with each other. Alana sighed to herself in resignation. She had long given up on guessing trivial things such as romance.

"Bring it on." Rod lowered the tip of her shotgun gently, his gaze staring straight at Cassie. "I say that Meia and Jasper are simply friends. If I'm correct, you are SO paying for my new motorbike!"

Cassie snorted. "The one that costs 500,000 gil? You can dream on, because I say Jasper likes Meia and if I'm correct…" She tapped his head with her shotgun. "You will buy lunch for me for six months." She grinned.

"Uh… guys?" Mason tried to interrupt but the two Turks were too engrossed to notice.

"Don't mind them, Mason." Alana said. "I'm too tired to interfere." She walked towards the door. "Goodnight, everyone." Alana was sure she only heard Mason reply.

* * *

><p>"Jasper." Meia's voice was soft but firm.<p>

The blonde turned back at smiled cheerfully at Meia. "Yes?"

"I've given it some thought." Meia made herself look at Jasper in the eye. "I'm happy to hear that you're fond of me. But I don't think this is what I want. I don't know you very well and-"

"Neither do I know you well, isn't it?" Jasper interrupted her gently. He walked towards her, smiling. "I'm not rushing things, we can get to know each other well and by then, I'm sure you'll be able to give me a more informed answer, is it not?"

Meia shook her head, waving her hands in front her to give herself some distance between herself and Jasper. For some reason whenever he got too close, she couldn't think properly. She needed to think properly to give him a proper answer. "No, Jasper. I mean it. I have always liked Brother Reno…" She tried her very best to give a serious look. "If I learnt anything in these few months, it is that I regretted getting into an argument with Brother Reno. If anything, I'd much rather wait for him to come back from Nibelheim, clarify my feelings with him and… ask for reciprocation." She said shyly.

"Tell me, Meia." Jasper said. "What if he really never thought of you as anything more than a sister?"

The question hurt more than Meia thought. Meia marveled inside at how a simple thought like that could make her feel miserable. "If that really is the case…" Meia pulled her pigtails thoughtfully. "It doesn't change anything." She smiled at Jasper. "I… I think that you're a nice person to be with, Jasper. It's just that… you're not Reno." She said.

"Ouch. That really hurts, you know." Jasper rubbed his heart ruefully.

Meia then realized how insensitive her rejection was. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Jasper!" She said frantically. "But I just wanted to make it clear to you! I don't mean to… oh Gaia-" She scrunched up her face in embarrassment.

Finally, Jasper sighed, as if in resignation. "I suppose… I can't convince you otherwise." He said, his blue eyes smiling more than his actual smile.

"Nope, you can't." Meia smiled back, relieved that he wasn't offended.

Jasper reached out to hold Meia's hair. "But if…" He said cheerfully, though Meia didn't miss out the hopefulness his voice contained. "If one day you've changed your mind, maybe you can… let me know, hm?" He twirled her dark strands of hair playfully, tickling her cheek.

Meia recoiled at the tickling sensation. "I'll think about it." She said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Oi, don't be such a-" Jasper abruptly stopped and turned to his right, staring out of the window.

Meia peered at his face. "What is it?" She asked, looking at the direction where he was staring at. The window was in the centre of the building. From the elevator when one walks out of, the corridor is a roundabout, in which the centre is simply built with windows, so if they stand near the window and look up or down, they can view into the other floors. [A/N: I'll post a picture on my blog so that you can visualize this better!]

"Nothing, it's just…" Jasper grinned sheepishly. "I thought I saw someone."

Meia narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not going to scare me and shout 'BOO' at me, are you?" She pursed her lips and took a fighting stance. "I'm… I'm not afraid of ghosts, just so you know!"

For a moment, Jasper looked confused. Then, he laughed uncontrollably. Meia stared at his unusual behaviour. Were her words that weird? _Rather, once again, I do something stupid in front of him._ She thought scornfully to herself.

"You are a rare specimen, Meia Etsky." Jasper grinned.

"Urgh, do not even use the word 'specimen' in front of me for the next few weeks!" Meia groaned. She had enough of catching scientist's test subjects to last her a long time.

* * *

><p>Just a minute earlier…<p>

"Well, I think what needs to be done is almost done." Reno sighed and stretched his limbs lightly. "Are we going to head back to Nibelheim?"

Rude raised his eyebrow slightly, but did not question. "... Tseng will send us back through the helicopter."

"Oh man, the helicopter?" Reno groaned. "I would love to fly in the airship again!" Reno stuck his hands behind his head. "Maybe we should ask Veld to upgrade all our flying transport to airships instead! Then you guys enjoy good, comfortable flights and I get to fly a badass..."

Rude followed Reno's gaze and saw why the redhead stopped rambling. He was looking out of the window, down at Floor 54, looking at Meia and a man that he didn't recognize.

"Who's that?" Reno asked gruffly.

"… No idea." Was Rude's curt reply.

Reno continued observing the two of them. Meia seemed to be talking to the man seriously, though she was smiling. The man looked like he was no older than 18, with a mop of blond curls that irritated Reno for some reason. The young man walked towards Meia and held her hair lightly, playing with it gently as if it was fragile. Meia did not look offended, but was laughing.

If it wasn't for his jaw, clenched ever so slightly, Rude would've never known how Reno felt on seeing such a sight. Rude smiled to himself. Whoever that blond man was, he was triggering something in Reno.

_Jealousy?_

_Maybe not at this point in time, but if Reno continues to be agitated by this sight, perhaps it can be concluded as jealousy. This might be beneficial for Reno too._

The sharp movement made by the young man was not a challenge for the experienced Turks. Both Reno and Rude jumped back quickly when they saw the man's head turn in their direction. Out of the man's sight, they released the breath that they were holding and looked at each other. "… You think he saw us?" Reno asked, tentatively.

"… I doubt so." Rude replied. Reno frowned and walked towards the elevator. "Where are you going?" Rude asked. "The helicopter will be here in a few minutes' time."

"Tell them to wait." He answered. "… I'm going to find Cissnei." Reno turned back and shrugged. "Make my stance on Meia clear once and for all."

As Reno strode into the elevator, Rude hid a smile.

_Jealousy._

* * *

><p>18 June 0002, 0710 hours.<p>

"Good morning, everyone." Meia yawned as she faced the table of Turks. She couldn't understand how they can look fresh and crisp when less than four hours ago, they were fighting for their lives to contain the monster-escape situation.

"Someone looks fresh and ready for the day." Cassie grinned, making room for Meia to squeeze in between Alana and herself.

"Thanks." Meia replied sarcastically. "I'm glad I don't have anything on today. I'm going to take a nap later." She took a huge swig out of her chocolate milk carton and began forking her scrambled eggs. "Debrief's in the lounge later, right?"

"Yep." Cassie replied. "Though I bet it's nothing much. After all, the one in charge last night was Reno."

Meia choked on the scrambled eggs, badly. Alana patted her heaving back immediately and gave her the chocolate milk carton to drink. "… Brother Reno was back?" Meia asked weakly. The name even sounded foreign to her, she hasn't made mention of his name in a long time. "Brother Rude?"

"Rude returned as well. They took charge because Tseng wasn't around to take charge." Alana explained. "You didn't see them?"

Meia froze in her seat. _Brother Reno and Brother Rude are in HQ now! _She thought. _You would've thought they'll give some sort of warning or something… Bah, what am I saying? _Shechided herself and realized that she has yet to reply Alana. "… No, but I guess I'll see them later!" She smiled.

"You won't." Cassie piped in. "They've returned to Nibelheim."

"Already?" Meia looked at Cassie. The shot-gun specialist nodded and Meia fell into silence again. She was glad that the other Turks ignored or paid little attention to their conversation. She tried to ignore the gaze Jasper was giving her. Anything related to Jasper was definitely not what she needed now. She just needed some time to think… to think…

From the corner of her eye, Cissnei peeked at Meia's troubled face. Cissnei honestly thought last night that Reno was going to bail out on her and sneak back to Nibelheim without a proper explanation of his feelings to Meia. So she was surprised to see Reno marching into her room. Sipping on her expresso, she thought about the events last night.

(flashback)

"Cissnei," Reno said as he swung her door shut. "Could you do me a favour?"

The shruiken-specialist narrowed her eyes at him. She was surprised to see him taking the initiative to find her, but she wasn't going to show that. "And what might that be?"

"Keep Meia safe while I'm away."

Cissnei prided herself as a person in control of her feelings. Fighting the urge to question Reno, she simply nodded and gave her word that Meia will be in good hands. For a moment, Reno stared at her. Then he mumbled, "I don't know if I like her."

"I've always thought that you do."

"I don't!" Reno said crossly. "I've only thought about her like that a few months back…" He glanced around the room and said in a low voice. "Till now, I've yet to figure it out, yo?"

"That's an easy explanation for Meia." Cissnei said, not controlling the sarcasm in her voice. "Yet to figure it out." Cissnei flipped her magazine shut. "You should've thought about this before you kissed her." She commented simply.

"Too late." Reno growled. He paced around her room. "That's the reason why I'm in Nibelheim… I chickened out, okay?" He held his head and sighed. "I don't know what to do with her. She seems so sure… and I freaked out just thinking about it."

"Reno, all you need is some ti-"

"She can't possibly like me, can she?" Reno interrupted Cissnei. "She is such a young girl… She has barely seen any other men to make comparisons, apart from us Turks."

"Reno-" Cissnei said calmly.

"I went to Nibelheim hoping that I can forget her." He paced up and down Cissnei's room. "Just that it's hard." Reno clenched his fist. "I kinda gave up a while back, but maybe I'll succeed this time."

"Re-"

"Don't try to interrupt me, Cissnei." Reno grumbled.

"You're the one interrupting me." Cissnei frowned, folding her arms at him.

Reno stared at Cissnei for a moment before realising what he did. "Sorry, Ciss. Just kinda worked up, yo?" He grinned. "What were you saying?"

The female Turk stared at him but decided that she should say something instead of keeping mum. "You need to think it through clearly." She said. "Meia is very sure of what she feels. She has always been decisive about her life, just like how she was so determined to be a Turk that she clung onto your leg and refused to let go." Cissnei smirked at the memory. "Perhaps you should learn a thing or two from her."

Her fellow Turk pulled his lips into a tight smile and commented nothing on that. "I'm heading back to Nibelheim and I doubt I'll be back in HQ till August. There won't be chances for me to run into Meia, plenty of time for me to try and forget her." He sat on her chair and scratched his head. "Maybe she'll see that this is good for her after all and move on, so I don't really want to talk to her yet. Not until I'm done with the Nibelheim mission."

_Stubborn idiot. _Cissnei huffed at his words. _Meia needs to prepare herself for another wave of heartache if she knows about this. _"Thanks for helping us with the monsters. You must be tired. Rest well when you're back in Nibelheim." She changed the subject as a means of telling Reno that she had no intention of interrogating him further.

"Thanks." Reno stood up from his chair. He was about to leave when an idea hit him. "Say, Ciss…" He said, turning around to face the female redhead. "Who's the new Turk?" He frowned as he commanded his memory to bring up the sole name that followed the news of the addition. "Jasper… or something like that."

"Jasper?" Cissnei asked. "Yeah, that's the new Turk. If you're wondering, he's doing great in the Turks, a rather impressive performance considering his pampered family background and all. Did you get to see him at all? He's about this tall…" She gestured an approximate height. "Blond, blue-eyed fella. Uses the nunchaku, just like Marshall. You can't miss him."

"Yeah…" Reno trailed off, nodding. "I think I did see him. Thought it was weird to see a strange face wearing the Turk uniform. Well, then." He threw a hand-gesture like a gun at Cissnei. "Take care, yo?" Before Cissnei could reply, he walked towards the door but turned around and said to Cissnei, "Just so you know, Meia is someone very important to me. Until I'm very sure that I don't like her or that she's gotten over me, I won't easily give her to anyone… or anything." With that, he opened the door and left.

(end flashback)

_No matter how Reno phrases it... _Cissnei thought to herself. _It is safe to conclude that Reno is serious about Meia, he is just not convinced himself. Something probably needs to happen to… trigger some sort of motivation for Reno to make his decision about what he wants. That would be the best. But what would that be? He said that he won't give easily give her to anyone or anything. Could it be…? _Cissnei looked at Meia, who was now in her own world of thoughts, then at Jasper. _Good luck, Meia. _Cissnei thought. _Your affections for Reno have a long and arduous journey ahead._

Meia spent the remaining breakfast time eating her eggs and pondering.

_So… Brother Reno and Rude went back without even saying 'Hi' to me._ Meia thought sadly. _But I suppose that this is best anyway. Would I be ready to face him if he went to find me yesterday? … Honestly, I don't know._

_I just hope that the next time I see him, he and I will both be ready to face this._

* * *

><p>AN to be found in my blog: aichioluv dot blogspot dot com

Done in the classic style of awesome author "Scribbler":

Thank you for reading.


	44. Under Orders

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 44 – Under Orders**

9 August 0002

Meia shouldn't have allowed the Turks to leave poor Jasper behind in the bar. She checked her watch, it was 10.30pm and Jasper was still not back.

"Let him be." Grinned Legend when she asked for the umpteenth time whether it was wise to abandon the unconscious Turk. It was the Sector 5 slums after all, Jasper may not know his way back. "He shouldn't have challenged me to a drinking game!" Legend laughed good-naturedly. "Besides, if he's lost, he could always call us."

_Still! It's worrying to leave him there all by himself!_

Meia shrugged on a jacket over her jeans and t-shirt. She'd better return to the bar to get Jasper home and wearing the Turk uniform was unnecessary.

There is no such thing as a curfew in the Shinra Building. As such, the lobby never sleeps. However, not many people were around at such a late hour so Meia attracted some curious stares when she walked through the lobby and out of the main gate.

The city of Midgar is as familiar to Meia as her own room. The trains in Sector 8 were no longer in service, so Meia walked to Sector 5 and paid the guard some gil to enter the slums. _Perhaps someday there'll be an easier way to do this. _She mused.

She was also familiar with the Sector 5 slums. The sectors did not differ much, but Sector 5's church was the landmark that differentiated it from the rest of the sectors. Whenever she was free, the younger Meia would go to the Sector 5 church with Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle. The dilapitated church had two things that made their visits worthwhile. The flowers that grew bountifully in the bleak environment of Midgar, and the 'gardener' of these flowers.

"Is that Meia?" The voice that spoke from a distance was soft and girlish, yet Meia could remember it, even after not seeing or hearing the person for years.

Meia turned around and ran towards the person in front of her. "Sister Aerith!" She cried gleefully, like a child.

The brunette grinned as she wrapped her slender arms around Meia. "I can't believe it's you!" She laughed gaily. "I haven't seen you for 4 years!" She held Meia out and took a good look at her. "You've grown." She remarked.

"So have you." Meia beamed. Aerith was still taller than her. Her chestnut brown hair was tied up in a single braid and held at the top with a pink ribbon. Also, she wore a pink halter dress and brown boots. "You look so pretty!" She reached for Aerith's ribbon.

Aerith blushed. "It was a gift from someone!"

Meia clapped her hands together. "I met a flower girl last Christmas." She said as they begin walking down the pavement. "You seem to be in a flower-selling business?" Aerith laughed and answered that it was so. "I think that's great, sister Aerith." Meia smiled. "At least you're doing something for the slum citizens."

"And you're not?" Aerith smiled. "Where's Sunny and the others?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Meia glanced at her. "They've died… when the Wutai soldiers invaded Sector 4."

Aerith held Meia's hand gently. "I'm… I'm sorry to hear that." She said sadly. "… What are you doing now?"

Meia tensed at her question. In her joy that she has met an old friend, Meia had totally forgotten the danger she has placed Aerith in. _What if another Turk saw her? They'll capture her and… _Meia bit her lip. _I don't want that to happen. _When she discovered Aerith's identity, she made a vow to keep her old relationship with Aerith a secret from the Turks. She did not intend to break that vow anytime soon.

Then, Meia realised that Aerith was waiting for her answer. "I'm hired by a rich businessman… to run errands for him." Meia was not lying completely. Shinra is indeed the richest man on the Planet, hiring the Turks to do things for him. "It's fun, really." She quickly added. "I get to travel a lot. I've only recently returned and thought I'll visit the slums." That was the lie.

To her relief, Aerith believed it. "It's great to see that you're doing well, Meia." Aerith sighed to herself. "I would love to travel around the Planet too."

"Why don't you?" Meia asked, her eyes shining. "You can esc-especially visit places that you've always wanted to visit!" She felt her heart pound as she nearly said 'escape'.

Aerith's look was longing and sad. "I can't leave my mother here." She said to Meia. "Besides, I…" She pursed her lips. "I don't know how to leave Midgar without any money nor rich fighting experience."

_How long has sister Aerith kept her true identity a secret? _Meia never once thought that Aerith was anyone special, apart from 'a girl who works wonders with flowers'. No one would've thought that she belonged to a special race called the Cetra. _And the only one left... No wonder Shinra is desperate for her powers to find the Promised Land… A legendary place full of the powers of the Lifestream… potential Mako._

"Sister Aerith!" Meia held her hands, slightly rough from the tending of the plants. "You should get out of Midgar and travel if you can!" She grinned. "The world out there is beautiful! Can you hear it beckoning to you to leave Midgar and venture into the unknown?"

Then, without warning, Meia saw that Aerith's face turned distant, as if she was hearing an exclusive conversation. Meia remembered that there were many instances that it happened while the four of them were in the church with Aerith. _Is Aerith really talking to the Planet? _Meia wondered. _I was just metaphorising-_

"You know what, Meia?" Aerith asked, interrupting Meia's thoughts. "You're right. I need to get out of this place.

Meia blinked at her. "… Really?" She asked.

Aerith nodded. "For many years I wanted to travel the Planet. I guess there were many things that kept me from going, though they were also the same reasons why I want to leave."

The younger girl glanced at Aerith, wondering what was running through her mind. To run away from Shinra was the most reasonable thing to do, in Meia's opinion. _Just that... With Shinra being this desperate to capture Sister Aerith, they will chase her to the ends of Gaia, removing everyone and everything that stood in their way. _

Not wanting to let her countenance affect Aerith, Meia asked. "Any place you would like to go?"

"Costa del Sol, I guess." Aerith replied. "I've always thought of lounging by the sea... Though I don't know how the sea looks like." She said sadly.

Meia held Aerith's hands again enthusiastically. "It's the most beautiful thing ever!" She exclaimed with a wide smile. "The mass of water so huge that it looks blue! No amount of pictures can subsititute the actual thing!"

"Really?" Aerith replied with equal enthusiasm. "Maybe... Maybe I should really leave... Not as if there's anyone behind..." She said softly, to herself.

_Strange?_ Meia thought. _I thought sister Aerith had 'someone special'._

Before Meia could ask, Aerith said "I guess maybe I really should give it a try. No more protected slumgirl. I shall be strong in my worldly adventures!"

Meia laughed. "Yes, it'll be great if you could see the world. Better still, maybe we can travel together!"

Slowly, their walk was ending as Meia spotted Aerith's house in the short distance.

"Meia."

"Hm?"

"It has been wonderful seeing you again." Aerith's smile was warm and sincere. "I'm always in the Sector 5 church so if you're free, you can always come and find me!"

"And if you encounter any problems, you can always call on me and I'll be here to help you!" Meia patted her chest proudly.

Aerith giggled. "You've surely grown up, Meia."

"Heh." Meia beamed in response. "You've always been taking care of Tihan and me when we were young. It's about time I return you a favour."

"Sounds good to me." Aerith laughed. "Don't regret your words when you really see me in trouble! For all you know, the baddies might be too strong for you!"

"No way!" Meia grinned. "There's nothing too impossible for th-… me!" She gulped her intended words and hoped that Aerith didn't notice.

The flowergirl laughed. "Funny, I often hear that statement from a guy named Re…" Suddenly Meia saw that Aerith's eyes widened. In a flash, the flowergirl took three steps away from Meia. To Meia's dismay, realisation sank and settled on Aerith's face. "You're a Turk!" Her green eyes were gazing at Meia with suspicion and… distrust.

"Sister Aerith!" Meia called out but Aerith grabbed a rod underneath her window and held it against her in defense. Meia raised her hands in surrender. If anything, she didn't want to fight Aerith and that was what she wanted her to know.

"… You…" Aerith stepped back again, pressing herself against the wall of her house to give maximum distance between Meia and herself. "Do you know anything about me?"

Meia's face turned solemn. "If you're referring to your background…" She took a deep breath. "Yes, I know about it, though only when I entered Shinra."

Relief passed through her face. "… I'm glad to hear that… It would come to nothing if your friendship then was driven by your knowledge of who I am." Aerith looked at her again, this time with more curiosity than threat. "Are you here to capture me?" She asked, warily.

Shaking her head, Meia said. "No, I'm not."

Now Aerith drew a deep sigh of relief. "So… you are a Turk…" Aerith looked at Meia's attire. "So Turks do wear other clothing apart from their uniforms?"

_Under threatening situations, Sister Aerith could still make jokes? _Meia thought. She was impressed by the seemingly-weak girl's mental strength and determination to survive. "Yes, Sister Aerith." Meia laughed. "We do wear other clothes, just seldom."

Aerith peered at her cautiously. "You said you won't capture me, right?" Meia nodded. "… I shall trust you." Aerith said, lowering her weapon down. "Oh Meia, why did you become a Turk? I've always thought your Turk dream was just a…" Aerith sounded embarrassed. "Just a child's dream."

"It's not." Replied Meia, shaking her head. "Sister Aerith…" Meia urged, desperate for the flowergirl to realize that she was harmless. "I didn't mean to put you in danger. I'm not here to capture you. I'm here because I saw you and wanted to talk to you."

"I know, Meia." Aerith's voice was soft and sad. "But our relationship is strained by circumstances. If today you were under orders to capture me on sight…" She took a step toward Meia. "Would you?" She asked, her verdant-gre en eyes staring at her.

Meia took a step back, and her response surprised her. "…" She pulled her pigtails and looked away. She had not asked herself that question before. It had always been on her lips that she wanted to be a Turk, but when it came to the crunch of doing the Turk job and compromising the things and beliefs that she valued most… what would Meia truly do?

Seeing Meia's actions, Aerith smiled. "I understand, Meia. You will capture me. You are under orders after all... Which is why this will be the last time we'll see each other."

"No!" Meia said firmly. "Shinra has nothing to do with our friendship!"

For a moment, Meia saw that the brunette's expression softened. "I'm glad you think so." She smiled, but her smile carried a burden and an agony that Meia could never erase out of her head. "Please, Meia. Don't come back anymore. It's better for you... And for me." Aerith stretched out her hand and held Meia's warmly. "I'm glad we had the time in the slums then. You were like a sister to me."

"Sister Aerith..."

"Goodnight… And goodbye." Releasing Meia's hand, Aerith closed the door.

Meia sighed and chewed her lip. It felt like her friends were leaving her one by one. Turning around, she saw Tseng, standing by the passageway leading back to the Sector 5 slums. "Br-Brother Tseng!" She exclaimed. She frantically stretched her hands out and shook her head desperately. "Y-you didn't see anything!" She tried to convince him.

The Wutaian narrowed his eyes at her. "Meia." He said, refusing to address what he had just seen. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to the inn to look for Jasper!"

"And somehow you ended up befriending the last Ancient, Aerith Gainsborough." Tseng deadpanned. Meia pulled her pigtails nervously. Tseng drew a deep breath. "How long have you been friends with her?"

"Before I became a Turk." Answered Meia truthfully. She stared at Tseng. "Brother Tseng... Please don't capture Sister Aerith." Meia pleaded.

The leader raised his eyebrow at the slightest. "The person in charge of capturing the Ancient is me." He said. Meia closed her eyes and prepared herself to hear worse things coming out of his words. "What would you do if I order you to capture the Ancient right now?"

Meia blinked at Tseng, uncertain of his intentions. The leader remained as one of the most unreadable characters in the Turk organization. Meia could never be sure whether her answer is satisfactory for the solemn Turk. "If I was under orders to capture sister Aerith?" Meia repeated the question slowly. "I... I will do it."

Tseng stared at her, as if tearing apart any mental defenses she has put up against him, or was it just fatigue? "Will you?" He asked lightly.

"Yeah." Meia nodded. "But I'll fail in my mission and let the target escape."

Meia saw that Tseng raised a full eyebrow at her, but Meia saw that something flashed across his eyes. It looked like... Mutual understanding.

_Brother Tseng?_

To Meia's surprise, Tseng released a dry and quick laugh.

"Dont laugh at me!" She said, offended. "It is the best answer I can give at this moment!"

Her leader pressed his lips together and his face held an expression that Meia couldn't fathom. "I believe this is the best answer you can ever give me."

Meia frowned at his words, but behind these thoughts she was thinking about something else.

_Brother Tseng ran into me here... Which means that he already knows Sister Aerith's location. But he has been given the assignment years ago (even before I joined the Turks) to capture sister Aerith. So why didn't he..._

Then she knew. Why he laughed at her answer that she'll fail the mission to capture Aerith. Why he was here at Aerith's house, after work hours. Even the slight change in expression when Tseng said 'the Ancient'. The Turks and Shinra staff referred to Aerith as 'the Ancient', a label. But Brother Tseng... The way he said 'the Ancient' sounded more like _a nickname_ than anything else...

"Brother Tseng?" She asked as he stood up, his back facing her.

"What is it?" He replied, not turning back.

"... Do you like sister Aerith? ... I don't mean the romantic way!" Meia quickly added. "Well, maybe I DO mean that but at least… do you like her… as a friend?"

For a moment Tseng did not reply, as if he was seriously considering her words. Then he turned around. "… No, I don't." He answered. Before Meia could continue, Tseng told her that she can return to HQ because he'll search for Jasper himself. And Meia knew the topic on Aerith was over.

As Meia walked away, she wondered to herself if the Shinra Headquarters had magic to make people hide their emotions skillfully. Because now in the Sector Five slums, miles away from the HQ, for the first time Meia saw a hint of humanity in his dark eyes when he lied.

* * *

><p>6 September 0002<p>

The Turks cafeteria was crowded as usual, but Cissnei found no problem spotting Meia in the crowd. "Meia!" She said excitedly, grabbing Meia by her arm. Meia stared at her, puzzled by her unusual display of excitement. "Under orders of Veld, we're going to Costa del Sol!" Cissnei smiled broadly.

* * *

><p>3 hours later, at the top of the helipad, the helicopter was ready to take off. So was SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair.<p>

_But he doesn't look excited at all. _Cissnei mused. Zack was standing by the railings, staring into the distant Midgar mountains. She was glad that she came up the helipad early because this gave her time (and opportunity) to talk to Zack Fair and establish her reason for going to Costa del Sol.

She walked out of the lift lobby and called out. "Zack!"

Zack turned around."Cissnei?" He asked, surprised.

Cissnei walked towards him, smiling. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Dunno." He pulled his lips into a thin line. "I was just told to take leave at Costa del Sol. What about you?"

"What a coincidence!" Cissnei tried to sound surprised. "I was given leave by my supervisor as well." _Be natural! _She told herself, folding her arms. For some reason, she will always do that whenever she tried to act natural. "So I thought I'd take a little vacation here."

"My leave… Wasn't an order from the Director." She saw that Zack faltered, but she did not comment nor probe further. Not as if she didn't know that he was forced to take the leave.

"Well…" Cissnei trailed off, as if thinking of something to cheer him up. "It's not often that we have time off, so let's forget about work and spread our wings a little." In the distance, she heard Tseng calling for her to board the helicopter. Even though the destinations were the same, Turks and SOLDIER hardly travelled together. "See you around."

While she turned and walked back to Tseng, she could've sworn she heard him say, "Wings… not my favourite word right now…"

* * *

><p>"Brother Zack!" Meia waved at the figure in the distance.<p>

When the SOLDIER first class saw her, he broke into a grin. He ran over to her and as if on cue, they both did handstands.

"What are they doing?" Tseng turned To Cissnei.

"Just two children greeting each other." Cissnei replied lightly.

"I'm going to out-handstand you!" Meia declared, her face starting to flush from the blood rushing to her face.

"I don't think so!" Zack teased in a sing-song voice.

Meia pouted and was about to retort when she felt a small push in the wrong direction. "Whoa!" She yelled before she fell onto pavement. She glanced angrily at the stoic-faced Tseng. "What was that for?" She asked furiously.

"Your core is not strong enough."Tseng replied seriously amidst Cissnei's laughs. "A strong core will ensure that not only you stay on your hands for long..." He walked towards Zack, who was still on his hands. "It also keeps you from falling when there are external forces." Tseng gave Zack's leg a hard shove. Zack's legs yielded slightly to the force, but otherwise remained stable.

"Damn, my secret's no longer a secret." Zack grinned before jumping back on his feet.

Meia gritted her teeth in a mock-bratty way. "So... Great Brother Zack and Great Brother Tseng, what must I do to gain a strong core?"

Zack replied "Squats" at the same time as Tseng saying "Pull-ups" and Cissnei saying "Crunches". They stared at each other in amusement, except Tseng, who told her that either will work.

"Sounds like a lot of work." Meia grumbled. Cissnei and Tseng shrugged and walked towards the inn, beckoning Meia to follow.

Zack ruffled her hair playfully. "Maybe you should cut down on that running and give 20 minutes to this instead." He grinned. "Kunsel said you're nuts to run 90 minutes without stopping."

"Tried to." Meia corrected him. "I get exhausted before I can hit 60." She peered at him. "How do you even run on and on without feeling tired?" She once heard from Tseng that Zack had an endless supply of energy, because he could run for hours without taking a break. Even Tseng found it hard to catch up with him.

To her question, Zack looked away so that she couldn't see his cyan-blue eyes. "... I guess... It's a company secret." He said in a tone that sounded both proud and sad at the same time.

* * *

><p>Meia wondered if her question ruined Zack's mood for the vacation. After they left their bags in the inn, Zack, Cissnei and Meia immediately ran straight into the sea and played tirelessly under the scorching sun. There were many visitors and residents sharing the beach, but no one minded the crowd.<p>

They played volleyball, joked about how Tseng looked out of place wearing the Turk suit and even talked briefly about Reno. Meia was glad that Zack made extra effort to help her forget about Reno by being extra foolish, though she knew that he was doing it also because he seemed to be upset by something. Despite the boisterous activities around them and Zack's own efforts to preoccupy his thoughts, Meia caught him zoning out once in a while, or looking at the sea with a distant look in his eyes. At night, they ate a sumptuous dinner and then they went back to their own rooms.

"Doesn't Brother Zack find it weird to be the only SOLDIER here on vacation?" Meia asked as they reached the rooms that they were sharing.

"What do you mean?" Asked Cissnei.

Meia twirled her pigtails thoughtfully. "Well… I would think that there would be more SOLDIERS on vacation."

For a moment, Cissnei looked at her in a confused manner. Then she raised her eyebrows as she realised something. "Then... Have you thought to yourself why we are under orders to take a vacation? And it happened to be in the same place as Zack Fair?"

Meia didn't think too much about it. She thought that it was a pure coincidence. "… You mean… It isn't?" She asked sheepishly.

"Not really. We are to behave as if it is a coincidence, though." Cissnei explained. "I've been monitoring Zack Fair since 0001, under the direct command of Director Lazard. Now that he is missing, I take orders from Veld and Heidegger." Cissnei laughed when she saw Meia's face change at the mention of the horrible Head of Public Safety. "He was forced to take a vacation at Costa del Sol. It'll be too weird if I'm the only one here with him… so I thought of asking you and Tseng as well." She folded her arms and looked at Meia in surprise. "Most of the Turks know about this. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

Meia laughed sheepishly. "I am clueless about this!"

"Well, maybe there's one more reason." Cissnei patted Meia's head. "You still look a little down once in a while. I reckon you're still thinking about Reno."

Meia blushed. "… Is it obvious?"

"Kinda, but you're putting in the effort not to be depressed so…" Cissnei nodded. "No one is complaining yet. Make sure you do your job well and no one's gonna care." She laughed. "As for me… I really need your help now."

Meia smiled at the shruiken-user. Trust Cissnei to find such an idea to distract her. "So…" Meia twirled her pigtails casually as she pondered Cissnei's words. "So you are here to monitor Brother Zack and…. We are decoys?"

"If you put it that way, yes." Cissnei grabbed her clothes from the luggage. "I'm sorry if I caused you any inconvenience." She said apologetically.

"Are you kidding?" Meia laughed, nudging Cissnei into the adjacent bathroom jovially. "If helping you in your assignment involves playing in Costa del Sol, I'm glad you chose me to help!"

* * *

><p>Finally, an Aerith cameo! Will there be more of Aerith? I'm not too sure!<p>

More A/N found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Thank you for your time to read my humble little story!


	45. Costa del Sol

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 45 – Costa del Sol**

7 September 0002

When morning came, Meia still couldn't believe that she was enjoying Day 2 of her vacation in Costa del Sol. Despite what she told Aerith, she hardly traveled around the Planet. It was the first time she visited Costa del Sol, so Meia could barely contain her excitement. _Of course the vacation is a decoy. _She reminded herself. _The real reason why we're here is so that Sister Cissnei can monitor Brother Zack's actions while he is on leave._

Nevertheless, it wasn't as if Cissnei had to be around Zack Fair all the time. In fact, they managed to have breakfast together, just Cissnei and Meia. The wooden, beach inn provided decent ham and eggs for breakfast and they tolerated the watered-down coffee (iced chocolate for Meia) in order to have more time to chat with each other.

"Pam!" Meia heard a girl from the neighbouring table say. Not that Meia liked to eavesdrop, but in the small restaurant it was hard not to hear their conversation.

"Marla!" The girl, Pam, answered enthusiastically. From their accents, Meia concluded that they were Costa del Sol residents.

Meia was about to focus her attention back on Cissnei when she heard Marla speak. "I heard you just came back from Nibelheim."

Though Meia didn't say a word, Cissnei saw that the girl's ears perked ever so slightly at the mention of the town. Meia focused on drinking her iced chocolate and both of them fell silent, waiting to hear more news from Nibelheim.

"That's right, Marla," Pam said enthusiastically. "Nibelheim is such a cold place. When I arrived, it was summer, but I still had to wear a cardigan!"

_Huh. I didn't realise Nibelheim is that cold. _Meia thought. _I wonder if Brother Reno and Rude brought enough… _Meia pursed her lips. _It's not my problem. _

Apparently, Marla was not interested in those. "Just get to the juicy part, Pam!" Meia could almost hear the hunger in her voice for gossip. "Were there hot guys in Nibelheim?"

"Seriously? Zero!"

The women laughed together, with Pam's laugh being higher-pitched. Meia huffed softly to herself. Apparently she wasn't going to get any useful news out of the two women.

"But if you reeeally must know… there was a guy named Reno."

_Clank! _

Cissnei's eyes widened as she hurriedly recovered the empty glass that Meia accidentally toppled over. "How careless of you, little one." Cissnei murmured. Meia nodded absent-mindedly and Cissnei knew, from how Meia was twirling the fork recklessly in her hand, that Meia was deep in her thoughts again. "Good thing your glass is empty." Cissnei peered over Meia's head, hoping that the women do not find them eavesdropping. Luckily, they were too caught up in their conversation to notice.

Marla asked with an excited voice. "I knew it! You wouldn't pass a chance to hook up!"

"Hey!" Pam retorted in a mock-angry tone. "I'm not THAT easy, okay? Besides, he's the one that flirted with me first."

"…" Cissnei could not comprehend the expression on Meia's face. _Meia shouldn't be hearing this. _She thought. _To think my attempts to help her forget her sadness is now in vain._

"So? What happened?" Marla's excited voice spoke again. "Tell me every detail! How does he look like? No, wait! Just tell me how the night was like!"

Pam laughed in her high-pitched voice again. Cissnei cringed. "Calm down, Marla! I'm going to take my time to say the story nice and slow!" Pam teased. "Well, I was in the town bar, and he approached me. Said he and his friend were backpacking and have been staying in Nibelheim for the past month or so. He…" Pam paused and pondered a little. "He is simply… handsome. I think if there's anything to make him stand out, it's that flaming red hair of his…"

_Oh Gaia._ Cissnei cursed. _It really is that idiot. Though…_

Cissnei don't remember Reno being the promiscous sort. A huge flirt, yes, he is. But Reno has always prided himself in being different from the other boys since he was a young boy. While the boys of his age sought lustful escapades and thrilling experiences, Reno focused on honing his fighting skills. Indeed, he was curious about the opposite gender but whether he really found someone then to explore…

"_That's for me to know and you never to find out." Reno told her mischievously, when she once asked him about his promiscuity. _

_That idiot. THAT'S his strategy to forget Meia?_ Cissnei cursed in her mind.

"And then," Pam continued speaking. "He and I totally hit it off! The atmosphere was so tense and I think it's because I had 'eau de Lustress' on that night…"

"Ooh! You scheming fox!" Marla chuckled.

From a moment that she did not notice, Cissnei saw that Meia was pulling her pigtails, a clear sign of her discomfort or worry. The woman, Pam, sure knew how to make her story torturous for Meia. Cissnei couldn't help but wonder if Meia's pigtails will drop at the look of how the little girl is tugging her hair, clenching her jaw and taking extra interest in her finishing glass of iced chocolate.

"He said that he'll go back to his room first to freshen up. We couldn't go to his room because his friend was present as well. His friend is pretty hot too, I bet you'll love him if you've gone with me." Pam said coyly. "Tall, bald, wears sunglasses and is rather quiet."

"Ah, the quiet sort." Marla sighed. "Those are the rare ones in Costa del Sol." She commented, almost lazily. But her lazy tone ended quickly. "Quick, tell me, Pam! How was your night of… passion?"

"Well… Reno looks like he knows his stuff." Pam said with a sigh. "He even knows a few things that should've only been, you know… Costa del Sol secret, if you know what I mean."

"Oooh!" Marla squealed, and Cissnei frowned at the crassness of it all. "He must be a regular here then! So? What next?"

"Well, after that…"

Cissnei saw Marla leaning closer to her friend. "After that?"

Pam grinned. "After that…"

"What happened?"

Meia suddenly stood up with a loud clatter. Her chair fell over and onto the floor. Cissnei looked at Meia, shocked. Somewhere in her head, Cissnei almost marvelled how the conversation took less than a minute, yet felt so long.

"Sister Cissnei, I'm going outside for a while." Meia said brightly. "It's a little stuffy here." Before Cissnei could offer to follow her, Meia ran out of the inn.

"What's her problem?" Cissnei heard Pam say.

"Dunno." Marla replied. "Must be jealous of you because she hasn't found a fling here. I'm not surprised, did you see her _hairstyle_? Who ties their hair in _pigtails_?"

They laughed but stopped immediately when Cissnei shot them a deathly look. Then they spoke again, in much lower voices, but Cissnei's sharp ears nevertheless picked up every word they said. When Pam continued her story, Cissnei raised her eyebrows.

_Huh. This is interesting._

* * *

><p><em>Brother Reno is an idiot!<em>

Meia wiped away the tears from her face. She felt silly for crying over such a trivial thing.

_No, it's not trivial at all._

The thought of Reno wrapping his arms around that girl kept forming in her head. Meia shook her head, as if she could physically shake the monstrous thought out. She propped her arms against the parapet of the stone balcony, overlooking the blue expanse. Although it was morning, the sun in Costa del Sol was already shining its rays at her and her skin tingled with the heat, not that Meia cared. She stared at the azure sea and its lighter sky, separated by a faint grey-blue line. The sea in Costa del Sol looked nothing like the sea she saw while she was in Kalm. Compared to Kalm, Costa del Sol felt less serene. Perhaps it was because of the morning activity along the beach. When she was in Kalm, the sea was endless in its boundaries.

_Looking at the sea makes me forget about Brother Reno… oh darn it, I'm thinking about him again._

Meia sighed and pulled a face. She would love to forget him and enjoy the sunny Costa del Sol, but it was hard. It was hard to forget Reno, even though she had come to terms with it that she needed to forget him when he purposefully avoided her by going to Nibelheim. She told herself many times to help Cissnei and spend time with Zack Fair, but when alone in her thoughts, it seemed like everything reminded her of him… somehow.

She stared at the sea, wondering what came over her in the inn. _Not that I don't know what came over me, it's just that… I don't understand myself. Brother Reno wants to get over whatever that's happened between us. I know it and I perceive his rationale as something justifiable… _Meia clutched her shirt. _But why does it ache inside? Why am I jealous? Over something that does not belong to me?_

"…" She pinched her cheeks and told herself not to mope about it again. _I wish Brother Rod is here. Then he can explain again just why people get over each other by being intimate with people that they don't care for. _Rod often told stories of his pre-Turk days, focusing more on his passionate nights. If Reno was around, he would've smacked Rod behind his head for telling Meia such dirty and pervertic stuff. _Or maybe he won't… now that things are so awkward between us. _

She looked away. _… In some sense, maybe I was doing the same thing. I wasn't seeking solace in sexual pleasure, but I WAS desperately finding distractions so that I can ameliorate the pain in my heart… When the right thing that I should've done is to lay my cards on the table and admit that as much as I like Brother Reno… I rather have unrequited love for him than to even lose his friendship._

Meia closed her eyes, allowing the distant chatter become a peaceful hum in her head. But the nagging issue in her heart persisted. _Brother Reno…_ She murmured. _Why are you holding someone else? I cannot imagine anyone else in your arms, smelling that unique scent of fresh laundry, running her hands over the hair that I know so well. I miss your unnecessary 'yo's punctuating every sentence you say, that nonchalant tapping of your EMR, that stuck-up attitude that is evident all the time except when you're working. Brother Reno…_

If Meia could stare at herself she would, in horror. "By Gaia, I sound like an obsessive psychopath!" Meia declared to herself disapprovingly.

"Stay away from me, then!" She heard someone behind her cry out fearfully.

Startled, Meia whipped her head around and found herself looking at a boy of her age. "Oh!" She covered her mouth with her hands, blushing. "I-I-"

To her relief, the boy broke into laughter. "I'm just kidding!" Meia, utterly relieved, laughed as well. When the laughter died down, he asked sincerely. "But seriously… you alright?"

That was when Meia realised that her eyes were watery and hastily wiped them away. "I'm fine!" She smiled brightly. "Just thinking of the usual…" She shrugged. "We all have problems, no?"

"True." The boy smiled back. "Well, you looked so upset I couldn't help but notice you." Meia flushed at his words, and the boy quickly added. "It's because everyone here is enjoying themselves… except you. And of course, your declaration was quite astounding." They laughed again and he reached out his hand. "My name's Randy. What's yours?"

"I'm Meia." Meia stretched out her hand and shook it warmly. "I take it that you're… a foreigner as well?"

"Is it obvious?" Randy laughed. "I thought I've baked myself silly in the sun!" He leaned against the stone parapet. "How did you guess?"

Meia laughed and shook her head. "It's the accent. You don't have the Costa del Sol accent."

"Oh, I see. Yeah, their accent is hard to get in just a week!" Randy grinned. "I'm from Icicle Inn!"

"Oh!" Meia said excitedly, clapping her hands in glee. "I…" Meia stopped herself in time and thought against saying that she knows Icicle-native Leia. Just in case her townspeople were ignorant of her job as a Turk.

"Hm? Do you know someone there?"

"Not really," Meia fibbed. "I was just going to say that I've always wanted to visit Icicle Inn!"

Randy stretched out his hands. "If you ever visit our town, just look for me! I'll be more than willing to be your guide! Although…" Randy frowned a little. "I'm going a few more places after Costa del Sol so I won't be back so soon."

Meia laughed. "Neither will I visit Icicle Inn so soon. After this I'm returning to Midgar."

"Huh. You're from Midgar?"

"Yeah." Meia nodded. "I-"

"Hey Randy!" They heard someone in the distance call. "Stop flirting and come on down!" Meia flushed and peered over the stone parapet, where his friend was waving frantically at him. "The waves are good for surfing!"

"Shut up!" Randy called back good-naturedly. "I'm coming over soon!" He turned to Meia. "Would you like to join my friends and I for surfing?"

Meia's face brightened. "I would love to!" Then she remembered that Cissnei was probably waiting for her in the inn. "But ahhh… I've got plans."

"Aww." Disappointment was apparent on the boy's face. "Well then, tomorrow, maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow." Meia smiled back. "Have fun surfing!" As Randy turned to go, she called him again. "… Thanks for talking to me. I feel a lot better."

Randy winked at Meia and waved. Then, he ran in the direction of the stone steps leading to the beach. Meia smiled to herself. Gaia sure knows how to send people to make her feel better.

A small movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. As she spun her head to the direction, she saw suspicious looking people, donning diving suits and walking around Costa del Sol. They were in a secluded area of the beach. Since it was early morning, the beach was not crowded yet.

"Meia!" She heard Tseng's voice and turned around. He ran towards her. "Where are Cissnei and Zack?" He asked.

Meia shook her head. "I don't know."

"Junon is under attack. We're leaving immediately."

"What?" She exclaimed. "Who is the mastermind?"

"We have no time to speculate that." Tseng replied. "The helicopter is arriving in less than an hour. Leave your things in the inn. We'll come back for them after we clear up the mess in Junon."

"Wait, Brother Tseng!" She called the leader. Tseng turned around and Meia pointed to him the direction where she saw the suspicious men.

Tseng frowned. "Genesis copies… Why are they…" Breaking his thought, he turned to Meia. "Meia, run ahead and contact the chopper. Tell them to be battle-ready." He turned towards the direction where Randy ran in earlier on. "I'll warn Cissnei and Zack."

* * *

><p><em>There was absolutely no need to hide.<em> Cissnei thought. _He knows I'm here. We're not shy towards each other or anything._ She peered over the stone staircase, where Zack Fair was doing squats (SOLDIER style).

_So why am I so hesitant to talk to him? _

Over the past year since she first took on the assignment to monitor Zack Fair, Cissnei found herself… interested in him. _No, falling for him is too strong an expression. _She thought. She has never taken a job that lasted more than a year. Because of this assignment, she was required to be alert for SOLDIER plans and wasn't able to take up any major missions. The missions that Cissnei did take were minor ones that could be abandoned easily should there be a change in Zack's plans. As such, for the past year, Cissnei spent most of her time observing Zack… _and falling for him. _She concluded with a resigned sigh.

She picked at her bathing suit. Before she left, Cassie shoved into Cissnei's hands a white bikini, saying that white will complement her better. Cissnei didn't mind a white bikini… if Zack Fair was not in the picture…

Cissnei flushed. She was glad that she brought along her cream yellow tank top and boy shorts that worked just as well for the Costa del Sol weather and beach. In fact, yesterday, Zack Fair commented that it looked cute on her.

… _I'm spending too much time hiding here. All's fine anyway. _She told herself. _Why am I so hesitant? I need to be natural around him. It is just a coincidence that we're on vacation at the same time. … There is no mission that is impossible for the Turks. _She found herself repeating the mantra to calm herself down.

Cissnei took a deep breath.

_Here goes nothing._

She walked down the stairs. "Suntan lotion?" She asked, trying to sound preppy.

"I don't need that kind of stuff!" He grunted, still doing his squats. Cissnei felt her heart flutter at his words. Indeed, Zack Fair was baked bronze, after a day in the sun, or is it just Costa del Sol working its magic on everyone's skins? "And what is this?" He complained, though he did not slow down his squatting exercises. "Have I been left out again?"

Cissnei winced slightly at his words that were not too far from the truth. Since the death of his mentor Angeal Hewley, Zack has been put on the shelf from big missions. In fact, he was technically out of action for a year. Sent to take care of the smaller missions (one of which, he once complained to Cissnei, about some Wutaian "princess" who only knew how to steal his treasure), Zack was not updated fully on the Genesis situation. Not that there was huge news on Genesis (_Nor AVALANCHE. _Cissnei thought. _Could they be related?_).

Remembering that Zack was still waiting for her reply, she replied weakly, "You could use some R&R." _So far so good. _She smiled and walked down the stairs.

Zack gave himself a good stretch in his thighs when he stood up fully. "I'm bored." He frowned. "That's it. I'm calling them." He gave a mini decisive fist pump.

"Director Lazard is not in." She said before he could reach for his PHS. In a few sentences, she explained the disappearance of Director Lazard. _How could he not know about this information? _She thought. _He has been missing for almost 4 months! Does SOLDIER really not intend to ever let Zack Fair know about all these information? Then again, Zack has been taking on every single mission to keep himself busy. It's not a wonder that the other SOLDIERS barely talked to him. _

"… What's wrong with them…" His voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hm?" She focused on Zack… trying not to look anywhere else but his face. Still, his handsome and sculpted face did not provide less distraction for her.

He stood, facing the sea, with that distant look in his eyes that Cissnei remembered Meia mentioning once last night. "People. What are they all thinking?"

Cissnei too, stared at the sea. "The truth lies within each person." She found herself say. "But even truth seems suspect once it leaves their mouths…" She glanced sideways at Zack, wondering if he picked up the hidden meaning. After all, her intentions of befriending Zack Fair were not driven by friendship.

"Tch." Zack clearly didn't sound like he understood her message. He was too caught up with his annoyance that SOLDIER left him out again. "Cissnei, mind going over there for a bit?" He shooed her away, walking back to reach for his PHS.

She found herself giving a rather bratty huff. She knew that Zack heard her displeasure but she wasn't going to be thrown aside for nothing. Yes, she is sent to monitor Zack Fair, but she will enjoy the time with her target while doing her mission. Just now, he was complaining of boredom. Now, Zack Fair rather be alone?

_If he's not calling Director Lazard then…_ Cissnei felt her heart sink at her own conclusion.

"Calling Aerith?" She asked, wondering how her tone sounded. She sure hoped it sounded like a friend teasing another. _Not a jealous, desperate girl waiting for you to spend time with…_

Zack spun around and stared at her. "How do you know that?" He asked, his eyes were full of surprise and suspicion. "Am I being watched?"

"No, she's the one being watched." Cissnei said truthfully. "That girl is an Ancient. The only one left in the world." She peered at him. "You didn't know?" She asked incredulously.

Zack stared at his clenched fist thoughtfully. "She… Never said anything." Cissnei didn't blame Aerith. Who would reveal to a Shinra employee that she was the most sought-after human in the eyes of Shinra? "The only one left in the world, huh…" Cissnei saw a surge of amusement and… affection in his eyes. "She is one of a kind."

"…" Cissnei swallowed her emotions and nodded lightly. _I am a Turk, tasked to do my assignments without carrying my emotions around. _She convinced herself. _If I can lock away my sympathy for people when I kill them… I can lock away my feelings for Zack Fair when I see that he loves someone else._

Their sharp ears picked up a sound of light and sturdy feet running down the stone staircase. "Heads up!" Tseng called out. He pointed towards the cerulean ocean. "Genesis copies!"

True to his word, Genesis copies jumped out of the sea, wearing diving suits and webbed flippers. Cissnei reached for Rekka… to find that she did not bring her weapon out. She cursed. _Of all days…!_

Zack ran towards the plastic deck chairs and grabbed a closed parasol. He gave it a few swings and from his fighting stance, it looked like he found a weapon.

_Oh Gaia._ She thought in dismay. _How much damage can an umbrella make?_

"Genesis copies!" Zack exclaimed at the enemies.

"An umbrella!" Cissnei exclaimed at him skeptically, but he was not listening to her anymore. He ran forward and began hitting the enemies with the large umbrella. Cissnei's jaw dropped. Tseng merely folded his arms and watched him fight. Cissnei looked at him. "Is he… really fighting with an umbrella?"

"Seems like it." Tseng answered lightly, as if commenting on the weather.

Cissnei stared at Zack again, who is dodging and rolling on the sand to prevent being shot by the Genesis copies. "Aren't you going to stop him?" She looked around. "Where's Meia?"

"I sent her to prepare something. Besides, he looks like he can handle it quite well."

Clearly, it seemed like the case… initially. Soon, with the amount of Genesis copies diving in to attack Zack, Cissnei tossed him a couple of potions to regain his strength. The potions did little to his motivation, though. The Genesis copies were endless.

Tseng pulled out his handgun but Zack shouted, "No! I'll take care of this! I'm SOLDIER First Class!" He roared as he brought down the sturdy umbrella on the head of the enemy. "I can handle a bunch of twerps like these!"

"… Erm… Don't ruin his ego?" Cissnei looked at Tseng, who gave the slightest hint of rolling his eyes and he placed his gun back in the holster. Cissnei turned back to Zack and shouted. "You can do it, Zack!"

"YEAH! I'm on fire now!" He roared back. With a grin, it seemed that he had more energy to 'slash' and attack the Genesis copies. From afar, Cissnei flushed. Zack was a well-known flirt and he surely knew what to say to make her words feel special.

Tseng narrowed his eyes at her. "You sound like some kind of summon. Like Odin or… something."

"Hey!" She stared at Tseng. "If you want to make me a Summon, at least make me a cute one." She gritted her teeth. "Don't you help him at all?" She grumbled to herself.

"Sometimes." Tseng said lightly. "Once, I said over the PHS that it was the end for him. The way he flustered and tried to convince me that he's trying…" Tseng placed his palm on his forehead and shook his head. "How do they select their SOLDIERS?"

"Erm, guys? Maybe I could use some help here!" Zack called out.

"Coming, coming." Cissnei laughed. The both of them then ran ahead and tried to take down some of the Genesis' copies with melee skills and Tseng's handgun.

* * *

><p>(AN: To those well-versed in Crisis Core storyline, the following scene will happen after Tseng told Zack and Cissnei that they're heading to Junon.)

"Sister Cissnei!" Meia waved at the top of the stone staircase. "Brother Tseng, Brother Zack!" She ran down the staircase and towards them. "Is everything alright?"

"Don't you worry!" Zack pointed a thumb at his chest proudly. "With me-"

"Everything is under control." Tseng interrupted Zack. Meia allowed herself to chuckle softly when she saw Zack's put-out face. "Meia, when the chopper arrives, bring the copies back to Shinra, for Professor Hojo."

Meia stared at the dead bodies. "The bodies would've been fully consumed by the time we reach HQ." She argued.

"There would be enough time for Professor Hojo to inject his preservatives."

"No fair! I wanna go Junon!" She blew her cheeks.

Tseng blatantly ignored Meia's whining and walked on. Zack chuckled and said. "We'll be back. Promise." He grinned and ran behind Tseng.

Cissnei gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "Reno didn't sleep with the girl, in case you're wondering." She said. Meia looked at her in surprise. "After you left, that girl said that he…" Cissnei paused to think of Pam's exact words. "He 'chickened out big time and said that he'll regret it'. I'll leave that with you to ponder on, on your ride back to Midgar." Waving, she walked behind the two men.

Watching their backs and then at the dead bodies, Meia sighed.

* * *

><p>AN to be found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com.

45 chapters! And many more to go, heheh. Please hang on with me and I hope you'll enjoy the experience! At the rate I see my readers dropping off, maybe I shouldn't continue with Part 2. =P

Anyway, dear readers, I'll be busy busy busy for the next ten weeks because I'll be going on practicum. Please forgive me if I upload later or maybe even miss an entire week. I'll still be contactable and I might dabble on my blog once in a while but… I'll most likely not be prancing around the website so often. Such a shame =(


	46. Conflict and the Calm

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 46 – Conflict and the Calm **

18 September 0002. 1100 hours. Nibelheim.

Reno threw back his arms and stretched against the chair. "Whew! Mission accomplished!" He grinned.

"… Indeed." Rude commented lightly. He was pleased with how the mission went. After they returned to Nibelheim from the Shinra HQ months ago, Reno seemed to be a lot different. Though they no longer talked about Meia, Rude was sure Reno was affected when he saw Meia with that man (whom Rude assumed to be Jasper, the newest Turk). Reno flirted with the girls in Nibelheim still, though he now knew where to draw the line. He became focused on the mission… that was why they could finish the job two weeks early.

Reno stood up and walked towards his backpack. "Rude, let's go back."

"… To Shinra HQ?"

"Yeah…" Reno said with a small smile. "It's been a long while, yo?"

Rude sighed and switched off his laptop. "Make sure we say our goodbyes to the citizens, like how normal people would after spending 7 months here."

"Will do, will do." Reno yawned. "After that, we'll head straight home."

"Shouldn't you do something to your hair?" Rude asked, looking pointedly at Reno's hair. Reno hasn't cut his hair since returning from Shinra and it is starting to look a little long at the back.

Reno touched the back of his neck. "Thinking of trying something out, yo?" He smirked. "Do you think I'll look sexy with long hair?"

"…"

"Okay, I shouldn't have asked you that." Reno rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"… Meia once told me that she thinks you'll look nice with long hair." Rude looked at Reno, his sunglasses did little to cover his hidden question.

Reno guffawed. "NAW. I'm not keeping my hair long because of Meia! …" He fell silent as he thought about the cheerful girl who DID tell him to try keeping his hair long. "I just… you know, thought it'll be cool to try what Meia said." He walked to the mirror and checked his hair out. "Gotta say, it actually looks good."

Rude shook his head to himself. "Tell that to me once it stops hindering your movements."

Reno reddened slightly. Because of his long hair, they were often caught by a variety of things, from tree branches to a girl's button. "Not anymore!" Reno pulled out a piece of rubber band with flourish. "A random girl gave it to me a few nights ago." He proceeded to tie the long strands at the back of his hair, resulting in a short, thin ponytail. "Well?"

"…" Rude unzipped his bag and said, "Meia will be proud." He replied emotionlessly.

"And thus our long 'vacation' in Nibel-boredom is over." Reno yawned. "Can't believe it's been so long since we came here."

"Seven months." Rude peered at him over his sunglasses. "You sure played a lot." He observed.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Reno made a face at his partner. "I work hard AND play hard!"

"…"

"Still…" Reno stared out of the window in a contemplative manner. "After all that playing has been done, you can only resign to the fact that you cannot imagine life NOT as a Turk. I kinda miss being a Turk…" And Reno murmured in a soft voice that Rude barely heard. "… and miss her more than before."

Rude knew that Reno probably didn't want him to hear it, so he feigned ignorance. "After all that playing's been done," He said, standing up and picking up his bag. "It's time to end your vacation here and return to Midgar to work again."

Reno smiled to himself. Rude was a sensitive rock, just the way he liked. "I'll definitely choke in the sea of reports." Reno finished stuffing his things in his backpack and hoisted it up on his shoulder. "Say we drop by the bar tonight?"

"Perhaps."

* * *

><p>1920 hours. Shinra HQ.<p>

"What do you mean, she's not here?" Reno stared at Tseng. "Where is she?"

Tseng stared at Reno. Some of the Turks were in the Lounge when Reno and Rude strode in unannounced. There were exchanges of surprise, short explanations of what they did in Nibelheim and small talk. Then, Reno looked at Tseng and asked for Meia.

"I've sent her to Icicle Inn. She requested to give the undercover job a try. She will be overseeing the elimination of Modeoheim, a few miles south of Icicle Inn." Tseng explained.

Reno straightened his jacket. "I'm going to find her." He said seriously. "I need to talk to her."

"Are you nuts?" Cassie rolled her eyes. "Do you think that you can just leave HQ as and when you like? Besides, you went on your trip to Nibelheim for seven months, without a single thought of whether Meia needed to talk to you."

"Cassie's right." Cissnei joined in. "Maybe if you travel to Icicle Inn, she may not want to see you."

The redhead stared at both Turks momentarily. "I'll explain myself to her and if she doesn't want to forgive me, so be it!"

"Argh!" Cissnei groaned in exasperation, barely noticing someone walking in.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked.

"I believe you've not met Reno and Rude." Tseng said formally. "Reno, Rude. This is Jasper, the newest Turk to join us since March."

"Jasper met Patricia and Marshall while they were in Bone Village, you know?" Mason added cheerfully. "He learnt his nunchaku from Marshall!"

"Pleasure to meet you, Reno and Rude." Jasper said politely, though he looked at Reno for a long time.

"…" Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose and shook Jasper's hand firmly. Then he turned to the redhead. "Reno, wait for Meia to return back to HQ."

Reno stared at his partner. "Not you too!"

Jasper looked at Reno. "You want to go to Icicle Inn to find Meia?" He asked with a hard tone, though no one will notice it if they don't pay enough attention.

Reno noticed it. He leant towards Jasper. "Yeah, what about it?" He taunted.

"Reno," Alana started with a tone of disapproval. "Couldn't you be nicer to the new-"

"I suggest you give up." Interrupted Jasper with equal hostility. The blond stared down at Reno.

"Guys? What's with you two?" Cassie frowned. "This isn't how people behave when they first meet each other!"

"Don't think I didn't see you that day." Jasper growled. "Peeping at Meia and I from Floor 56."

"I don't know what you are talking about, yo." Reno smirked. "I wasn't peeping. Though now that you've mentioned it, I don't remember loaning little Meia to anyone." He narrowed his eyes at Jasper. "I'll keep my hands to myself, if I were you." He stuck his hands into his pocket to illustrate his point.

Jasper scoffed. "Meia never told me that she doesn't allow me to touch her hair. Besides, who gave you the right to say such things?"

"That's enough, Jasper." Tseng said, but Jasper was not finished.

"You…" Jasper pointed a shaking finger at Reno. "You don't deserve her love at all!"

Reno glared at the nunchaku-specialist. "For your information, kid, your six-month long friendship is nothing compared to what I went through with Meia!" Reno gritted his teeth. "I'm gone for just seven months and you hounded after her like some… dog!"

"Oh yeah? So it's not fine for me to show my feelings for her but it's totally fine for you to leave her hanging like this?"

Cassie gasped at Jasper's words and prodded Rod triumphantly, though Rod barely acknowledged it in the tension-filled conversation.

"You don't know what I'm going through, yo!" Reno retorted back.

"Then did you know what was she going through?" Jasper argued back. "You left the poor girl without a word of explanation. Did you know how devastated Meia was?" The room fell silent at Jasper's words. "She tortured herself to exhaustion, so that she can be distracted and not be bothered by her problem with you. Did you know how I felt, watching her pine for someone who, for all we know, is enjoying himself in Nibelheim with all the ladies and whatnot?"

Reno gritted his teeth, but didn't deny Jasper's words.

"Jasper…" Cissnei tried to calm him down but the nunchaku-Turk was on a roll.

"Now, you're back here, thinking that all is fine? Did you seriously expecting Meia to be the same with you after all that?"

"You-" Reno grabbed his EMR but Tseng held his arm fast.

"That is enough." Tseng said with a warning tone. "Reno, I will not waste resources so that you can see her. If you want to see her, you'll have to wait till she's back from Icicle Inn, or walk there."

"Tch." Reno drew his hand from Tseng's grip roughly. "I'm outta here, yo." He grunted, walking past Rude and the Turks, out of the lounge.

Jasper sighed. "I guess I shouldn't..." Before he even finished his sentence, Jasper ran out of the lounge after Reno.

"Jasper!" Cissnei called out but Rude held her back.

"If they can't settle their problems on their own, they can forget about focusing on their future assignments." Rude deadpanned. "… Reno is much clear-headed now. They'll be fine."

A short silence fell on the Turks, which was quickly broken when Cassie smacked Rod's back smartly. "Aha!" She said triumphantly over Rod's curses of her slap. "Someone owes me six months worth of lunch!

* * *

><p>Jasper ran after Reno along the corridor. It wasn't hard to spot him when his flaming hair was visible metres away. "Reno!" He called out. Reno ignored him, walking straight for the elevator. Reno slipped into the open elevator and Jasper managed to squeeze in as well.<p>

"The hell are you doing?" Reno frowned at Jasper.

"I… I'm sorry for saying such rude things to you." Jasper said apologetically. "Allow me to explain-"

"I don't give a damn about your opinion, newbie." Reno shot back.

Jasper cringed at Reno's words. "Could you just listen to me?"

"Like I said, I don't give a-" Reno began.

Suddenly, the lift jerked violently, sending the Turks staggering a little. Jasper looked around him. "W… What happened?"

Reno walked to the screen and pressed a few buttons. "Elevator's jammed. How classic." He cursed under his breath. He flipped his PHS open and held the device against his ear. "Rude." Jasper hear Reno say. "Listen uh… I'm stuck in an elevator with the rookie… Yeah. Roger that. Bye."

The nunchaku-user peered at his senior. "So…"

"The elevator will be ready in no time." Reno did not turn to look at Jasper. "Looks like I'm stuck with you, yo?" He paused for a moment. "That doesn't mean that I want to hear your explanation."

Jasper looked at Reno curiously. Meia often described to him, with many anecdotes, how Reno was like. Thanks to Meia, he knows enough about Reno. So Jasper knows that Reno is not facing him because the the elevator doors are more comfortable to face than the full-length glass window.

Jasper shrugged. "I guess if you really don't want to hear my side of the story… it's fine."

He also knows that Reno is an extremely curious man.

After a brief moment of silence, Jasper heard Reno say quietly. "So… you really like Meia, huh?"

Jasper grinned to himself. "Yeah, I do. Ironically, I found myself falling for her when I found out that she was desperately pining for you."

"…"

"I told her how I feel."

"…" Reno said nothing, but Jasper had patience. He waited for the redhead to reply, and he didn't have to wait for long. "… It's probably my fault that she gave up on me. I've always expected that it might happen sooner or later." He shifted his head slightly to look at Jasper. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

"Au contraire." Jasper replied. "When you saw us at Floor 54, she was rejecting me."

"…"

"She firmly believes that you like her."

"That idiot." Reno muttered under his breath.

"I thought so too." Jasper agreed. "She survived seven months, and longer, wondering if you really like her. If you're not going to make yourself clear of your feelings, then I will ensure that she's in better hands. _My _hands. And mind you, she's not completely unattracted to me." Jasper felt his face warm as he said it. He suspected that Meia was attracted to him on a few occasions but he was too shy to find out. Not as if Reno needed to know. "I'm not so stupid as to be oblivious to things like those."

"…" Reno took his EMR. For a moment, Jasper reached for his nunchaku, thinking that Reno wanted to fight. The redhead, however, only extended the rod to tap his back like a back massager. "… Why are you telling me all these?" Reno asked. "You could've kept these things to yourself and win Meia."

"Because I'm not a bad guy, okay?" Jasper frowned. "I'm going to beat up myself later for helping you out here, but I'm not such a terrible person as to rob happiness from the girl I like."

Reno let out a dry laugh. "You're a rare specimen."

Jasper mused at the fact that he used the same words on Meia months ago. "Look, Reno." Jasper said in a tone as cordial as possible. "Meia speaks highly of you, and I believe that you are a good guy. Despite my hopes otherwise, I believe that there's something she sees in you. Don't prove her wrong." Jasper paused a little. "I really like her, but it would be better if she finds the one she likes."

Reno stopped tapping his back. "Just so you know," He said. "I like Meia too." He stopped and from the look of his face, Jasper figured out that it was the first time Reno admitted that out loud.

Jasper broke into a smile. "Just so YOU know, I'm not giving up on Meia yet. Don't you dare think that this will be an easy competition."

"I don't intend to give her to you that easily." Reno smirked. "Good luck, boy. Nobody wins a competition against Reno."

The blond pushed his fringe behind his head. "You know, you're as nice as Meia described." He said brightly, throwing Reno offguard. Seeing Reno's confused face, Jasper grinned. "I hope you see that I'm quite nice too!"

"Huh." Reno glanced at Jasper. "You remind me of Meia." He then smiled to himself. "Which isn't so bad too." He murmured. He smiled again to himself before throwing Jasper a casual question. "How's being a Turk like so far?"

Jasper's face brightened and he began talking excitedly about his experiences. Reno hid a smile. He really resembled Meia in overwhelming enthusiasm and naivete, perhaps a boy-version of Meia. _Just less… cuter._ He smirked to himself. When the lift started moving again, only then did they realise that they've been trapped in the elevator for almost half an hour.

The first thing Cissnei heard when the elevator doors open was Reno swearing his head off. _Oh Gaia. _She thought in dismay. _Are they still fighting? Maybe we should've left the lift stuck for a longer period._

Then she saw Reno rushing out of the elevator and shoving Rude. "You know I can't stand elevators, yet you purposely left the rookie and I in the elevator longer?" He growled. "What if I decide to kill him?"

"Oh, I'm very sure you can't kill me." Jasper said cheerfully, but his tone carried a hint of taunting.

Cissnei blinked. _What the heck happened in there? _She wondered. _Weren't they on the verge of fighting each other just now? _She glanced at Rude, who looked unfazed by the dangerous aura emitting from Reno. _Only Rude knows how to handle Reno and his social problems. _

"I can't kill you?" Reno grinned devilishly. "We shall see about that. Training room?"

"My pleasure!" Jasper replied, a little too enthusiastically.

Cissnei shook her head to herself. "I'm going to Sector 5 slums. Do not call nor message me." She said. Rude nodded and she stepped into the elevator. Cissnei didn't have time to speculate on the affairs of the Turks. For the past few days, Zack Fair punctually goes to the Sector 5 slums at three in the afternoon… to visit the Ancient, Aerith. Mostly they spent time talking to each other, but Cissnei felt it was her duty to stay close by and observe Zack nevertheless.

She took a sharp breath as she thought about how Zack's expression softened around the flower girl. _This is the only part of the job that I dislike._

* * *

><p>20 September 0002<p>

_Icicle Inn looks like a snow queen. _That's what a boy of seventeen thought to himself when he saw his hometown in the far distance, as he was traversing up the mountain. _Covered in white all year long. Magnificent on the outside, warm on the inside._

He looked at his hands, tan and lean. The month's vacation he gave himself to travel to the Southern countries was indeed an eye-opener. The boy saw many things and people that he thought were fascinating. The sun, which hardly provided heat even in Icicle Inn's two-month long summer, was his constant friend in the Southern continents.

_Now that I'm back, I guess it's time I return to my job and save up again. _He thought. _I wonder if Karl has a space for me to help out in his snowboarding business. _

The snow-buggy reached the entrance of his town. The boy paid the driver some gil and alighted, dragging his haversack off the car. The boy slung his bag over his shoulder and walked into town. Perhaps he'll head home first to take a shower and then he'll give his friend a surprise. He wrote to her weeks ago telling her that he'll only return in October. _She will be so surprised to see me. _He smiled to himself.

"Oh my gosh!" He heard a girl cry out. He squinted against the white of the snow and saw the short chestnut hair that could only belong to his childhood friend, Heidi. "Is that Randy? You're back so early!" Her jaw dropped. "You look so tan!"

Randy grinned and stretched his arms open for a hug. Heidi ran to him and tackled him onto the soft snow. He laughed. "I was only gone for a month, silly girl! Don't behave as if I came back from the war!"

Heidi giggled and pushed a piece of chestnut hair behind her ears. "Felt like a long time." She said shyly. "How does the South look like?" She added quickly.

"Gorgeous. I can't wait to go there again!" He grinned. "For now, I'm back and I won't be going anywhere else." He helped her up from the snow. "So tell me, what's new?"

"A new girl came to the town. Said she's visiting for a few months. She's really adorable and she has the most perfect skin, ever!" Heidi gushed. "She knows you, by the way." Randy raised his eyebrows quizzically. "Because you were the first thing she asked for when she arrived."

"Asked for me?" Randy frowned. There were many people he met while in the South and he cordially invited everyone that he encountered to visit Icicle Inn. Soon, his frown loosened as he recalled the one girl whose skin was as clear as Heidi claimed. "What's her name?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Meia."

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Mrs. Glasko." Meia received the warm cup from the hands of an elderly woman.<p>

"You're welcome, Meia." The woman smiled warmly back at her. "Do you like Icicle Inn so far?"

"I love it!" Meia said brightly. "Everything here is so slow-paced and calm. Thank you for having me here!"

"Any friend of Leia's is a friend of mine, even if she's from Shinra. You just need to behave as if you're here on vacation, so don't look so high-strung."

"I suppose!" Meia grinned. "The people around don't know that Leia is a Turk?"

"No, they don't." Mrs. Glasko replied. "I won't have them thinking negatively of my daughter just because she works in Shinra."

Meia smiled. "I'm glad you don't think so negatively of us."

"Ha!" The elderly lady laughed. "Leia has done jobs for worse people, I'm used to it!" She left Meia in the reading room and walked out to the living room.

Even though it was close to 5 degrees outside, Meia's heart was warm with excitement. When Tseng asked for someone to be sent to Icicle Inn as an undercover, she immediately volunteered.

_It's not to escape from Brother Reno! _She told herself. _I mean, well, since he ran away from me, it's fair that I can do the same! But the bigger motivation is of course to visit Icicle Inn!_

While in Icicle Inn her ultimate goal is to ensure that Modeoheim is completely obliterated from the map. Until her goal is done, she will constantly receive updates and instructions of the Turks. Only Tseng's mails are official instructions, everyone else sends random updates and messages to her.

"Speaking of the devil…" Meia smiled as her PHS beeped. Meia loves Cassie's mails the best, because they were long and detailed, and full of liveliness, much unlike an official Turk update but more like a friend telling another about her day.

"Meia! How are things in Icicle Inn? I send my warmest regards on behalf of the Turks here! Important things first. I'll be going to Nibelheim tomorrow with Tseng. All the workers in the Nibelheim Reactor disappeared without a trace. Weird, no? Reno and Rude swore that everything was fine when they left. Tseng says that they shouldn't be in any trouble but they'll be called in for interrogation, to aid them in their investigation.

"Guess what? Reno and Jasper seem to be on good terms! They started off a little fiesty but they are fine now." Meia giggled. "We heard that Jasper has a crush on you! Aren't you popular? We should talk as soon as I return from Nibelheim and you better tell me the story from top to bottom!"

_They both started out on bad terms? Why is that? Jasper I can understand, but why Brother Reno? _She flushed as she thought of a possible reason._ No, it can't be. Brother Reno is not the jealous sort. Besides, he doesn't know that Jasper likes me, does he? Maybe he's just threatened because Jasper was hostile or something. Oh Jasper… _Meia scrunched up her face in frustration._ Why were you mean to Brother Reno? _

A knock on the door interrupted Meia's thoughts. "I'll get it." She heard Mrs. Glasko say. When the door opened and Meia recognised the face at the doorway, she grinned.

"Hey Meia." Randy said, grinning. "I believe I owe you a tour around Icicle Inn?"

* * *

><p>The icy-cold snow broke Cassie's fall because it was soft but it hurt nevertheless. Cassie groaned as she helped herself up. <em>What's with snowy countries and our rate of falling from high places? <em>She grumbled to herself. Earlier on in the year, KK too fell from a ropeway bridge in Icicle Inn.

"I'm alive…" She declared to herself joylessly. Glancing at her surroundings, she remarked to herself how she narrowly missed the 'chance' of falling into the bottomless abyss, for she was lying by the edge of the cliff. "Oh!" Cassie realised that she had forgotten someone. "Tifa?"

"Cassie!" She heard Tifa say from behind her.

"Thank goodness, you're safe… What's wrong?" Cassie asked when she saw the little girl looking around frantically for something.

Tifa explained that her cat was missing again but soon spotted something else across the bridge. "It's the dragon from before!"

_Goodness. It really is._ Cassie thought_. If it comes here, the bridge will collapse!_ Out loud, Cassie declared. "I'm going!"

"Cassie?" Tifa exclaimed but the shotgun Turk was already running across the bridge to face the dragon.

_I must be crazy to engage this dragon alone. _Cassie thought to herself. _… What am I thinking? Am I not one who lives her life by challenging myself always? _Cassie grinned to herself. _This is one heck of a challenge that I want to outdo myself!_

* * *

><p>Tseng stood behind a rundown slide, watching Zack and Aerith talk. Beside them was an amateur-looking flower wagon. <em>Zack Fair does come up with the most unnecessary things to do. <em>Tseng thought, wondering what they were going to do with a flower wagon.

It has been normal for Tseng to remain hidden and unnoticed whenever he monitored Aerith. However, his target today was not Aerith, but Zack Fair. Ever sharp as an energetic puppy, Zack noticed Tseng's presence easily (without Aerith realising). As Zack noticed him, Tseng folded his arms and looked at him. Zack gave a small smile and walked over. "I suppose… Sephiroth is looking for me?"

"I'm only given orders to bring you back." Tseng replied. "Though I believe that you will go back without need of my escort." He added, glancing at Aerith.

Zack gave a dry laugh. "I'm happy to spend some time with her, that's all I need." He gave Tseng a fist pump. "I'll return to HQ now."

"Zack?" Tseng asked. Zack, seeing that the leader of the Turks wanted to say more, folded his arms and nodded to indicate that he was listening. "Don't worry about Aerith. Protecting the subject is part of surveillance duty."

"You're the only one I can depend on." Zack said earnestly.

Tseng stared at him for a moment. _A SOLDIER… depending on a Turk for help? _Tseng laughed. _A SOLDIER who is used to doing things his own way… _He turned away and laughed to himself. _… Depending on someone who won't hesitate to capture Aerith once the President gives orders to capture on sight._

"H-Hey, why are you laughing?" Zack demanded. Tseng placed his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. He'd rather not answer Zack. Zack placed a confident finger at Tseng. "I'm… I'm counting on you!" When Zack ran off to meet Aerith again, he did not see the smile that lingered still on Tseng's lips.

Tseng figured that he had nothing else to do, so he continued to observe Aerith… that is, until Aerith walked towards him. It has always been like so, ever since Tseng was given the mission to capture Aerith. Only the first time they met, that Tseng took the initiative to convince her to help Shinra's cause. She only screamed "I HATE SHINRA!" and ran away immediately. Apart from that, Aerith didn't show animosity towards Tseng, though after their first encounter, even if she noticed his presence, he didn't make the first move. It was always Aerith who first approached Tseng, to ask if he's hungry (because she made sandwiches) or something trivial.

"Tseng." Aerith smiled. Over the years she has indeed grown into a beautiful girl. "It's been a while."

"For you."

Aerith laughed. "Of course, I can never tell if you're around. You hide yourself too well." When Tseng did not reply, Aerith asked, "Zack… He won't be back for a long time, will he?"

"It depends on the mission."

"I… I see." Aerith looked away sadly. "By the way," She quickly changed the subject. "Do you know of a girl named Meia? I think she is a Turk as well."

Tseng nodded. "She is a Turk, as what you've said. She mentioned that the two of you were friends?"

Aerith giggled and told him some anecdotes of their interactions together. "I chased her away and told her not to return to me." She looked at Tseng. "Do you think I was too harsh?"

That was how their conversations were like, since the beginning of their special friendship. Aerith seemed to find a friend in Tseng, which at the same time amazed and saved Tseng, because he believed that such an important existence as Aerith need not befriend the dog of the immoral tycoon. Tseng initially was not very responsive to her words, but soon found himself making short comments.

"Meia is stronger than she looks." Tseng said simply.

The brunette laughed gaily. "Yes, she is." She agreed. "Nevertheless, please take care of Meia… and Zack." She added shyly and looked at Tseng happily. "I trust that you will do so." She smiled. "You had many chances to capture me to Shinra, but you didn't. So I believe that you are a really good person inside." She placed a hand over her heart sincerely.

Tseng frowned. "I'll be off." He greeted and walked away, realising for the first time that it is easier to carry the burden of orders than the burden of trust.

A short distance away from Aerith, Tseng's PHS rang. He flipped open and Cassie's voice filled his head. "Tseng, sir. A dragon attacked the ropeway. We can't use it anymore.

"What?" Tseng exclaimed. It was the only route that Shinra can infiltrate Nibelheim without arousing the attention of its citizens. "That's going to be a problem… Sephiroth and his company have been sent out to survey the reactor, but…"

"Sephiroth has?" Cassie interrupted, clearly not happy that SOLDIER is intervening what was supposed to be a Turk-classified mission.

"That was the President's decision. I couldn't get in touch with Veld, so we've got no other choice."

"… I guess so. I'm sure Sephiroth can deal with the dragons." Cassie ended with a resigned sigh.

"Still… It'll be harder to navigate a path to the reactor without the ropeway… Cassie, find someone that knows the way who can act as a guide."

"Yes, sir."

Tseng heard some background noise as Cassie talked to someone beside her. Apparently Cassie was with some willing Nibelheim citizen. By the sound of it, the person with Cassie was probably a teenage girl. From her strong tone and her forthcoming words, it sounded like the girl is not the sort of girl who can't take care of herself. Soon Cassie spoke back into the PHS, telling Tseng that she has found someone suitable to be a guide around Nibelheim.

* * *

><p>Author's notes (none in the blog today!):<p>

As seen in Crisis Core, Reno's hair suddenly became long (from the first time we saw him at the Sector 8 fountain to the helicopter scene at the end). To those who are wondering why he kept it long all of a sudden, perhaps this chapter (plus Chapter 26) will answer that =)

Just thought you guys are interested to know, the title of this chapter came about because of the conflict between Jasper and Reno (duh) and the Calm refers to the events right up to the Nibelheim incident. The calm before the storm… get it? I've been bad at making titles recently so heheh.

It's been a long journey since I started! No, this is not the end yet, but since the following chapter is considered the crux of the entire compilation, I should stop and honour my readers XD thank you for alerting, faving and reviewing my chapters, it has been a tremendous joy to write for your entertainment (*sing* I'm here for your entert- … nevermind.)

**Just so you know, since the Nibelheim incident is supposed to be the most important event in the history of the Planet, I assume that you guys know what is happening, right? So I will not bask into the canon details. If you're not sure, you can read on the games and anime (i.e. FF7, CC, BC, Last Order). Or read finalfantasy wiki (this is the shizzzz!)**


	47. October

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 47 – October**

Cassie walked towards the Nibelheim inn. A good morning walk usually invigorates her but today, Cassie is preoccupied with a strange situation that happened just a few days ago.

Her PHS rang and when Cassie picked up, Tseng spoke immediately. "What about Sephiroth?"

Cassie sighed. The very subject of the strange situation. "Nothing's changed. He's still locked up there in his room."

"Have you been able to determine what's triggered the change in his behaviour?"

"Yes. It seems like he reacted badly to something he saw inside the reactor." Cassie heard this from the handsome SOLDIER First Class, Zack Fair, just last night.

"I see…"

For a long while Tseng did not speak and Cassie wondered what he was thinking about. "Tseng? Is just keeping watch fine?"

"There's nothing we can do until we get more information. Just keep an eye on him. If Sephiroth's behaviour changes, let me know."

"Yes, sir." Cassie ended the phonecall by flipping her PHS shut. _IF Sephiroth's behaviour changes. _She told herself. _I guess I'll wait around and observe more till something happens._

Then something did happen.

* * *

><p>(AN: Yeah, this is how everything in FF7 started out!)

1 October 0002

Zack Fair stood in the midst of the inferno. However, he was not affected by the painful heat almost scorching his hair. In front of him stood his senior and respected SOLDIER First Class, Sephiroth. The wild look in his eyes as he glared at Zack… For the first time in 5 years, Zack felt his knees buckle and he forced them to be straight.

As if one would encounter a beetle on the sidewalk, Sephiroth turned and walked away, towards the Nibelheim Mako Reactor. The flames roared beside him, threatening to engulf him but forward the SOLDIER walked. Zack released a breath that he didn't know he was holding. He ran toward the staircase leading to Mt. Nibel, but turned back and stared at the mess Sephiroth has created.

_No way there will be survivors._ Zack thought with a pang in his heart. _These people didn't deserve to die._

"How could you…?" He gritted his teeth and asked. "Sephiroth, how could you…?"

* * *

><p>The Nibel Mountains were dark and almost impossible to find one's way at night, but nothing stopped Tifa Lockhart from finding her father who, according to her master Zangan, disappeared into to the Nibel Mountains just an hour ago.<p>

"Father!" She called out, she was fast approaching the Mako Reactor but her father, Martin Lockhart, was nowhere to be found. "Where are you, father?" She ran up the slope leading to the Mako Reactor and found a figure lying by the side of the Mako Reactor, soaked in a pool of blood. "Father!" She cried, running towards him. She grabbed his head and laid it on her lap. "Hang in there, father!" She said gently, though her heart was breaking at the sight of her father.

"… Ti… fa…" Martin Lockhart raised a weak hand. Tifa grabbed his hand and not caring if her tears fell, cried out again. "Tifa…" The bartender said. "Run away… now!"

"Hang in there, father!" She urged but as the last of his strength seeped away, Tifa's vision became blurry with tears. Sobbing, she hugged her lifeless father.

"Tifa?" A familiar voice called out behind her. Tifa blinked her tears away and saw Reno and Rude. "Is that Martin?" Reno exclaimed.

"Reno!" She cried. "Rude!" On seeing the backpack visitors, her heart felt relief. "What are you doing here?" She gasped as she thought of a chance to save her father. "Please!" She cried. "Save my father! Take him away from here and find him treatment!"

Reno never expected to meet Tifa here. The main entrance leading to the town was cordoned off, so Reno and Rude used the newly-fixed ropeway. They hoped that through the mountainous path, they will be able to sneak into the town without attracting attention.

Then, he saw the blood-stained sword. Everyone in Shinra recognised the reknowned Masamune who helped Shinra claim victory in the Wutai War… and now claims hundreds of lives in Nibelheim. "Sephiroth…" Reno muttered and clammed his mouth shut, hoping that Tifa didn't hear what he said.

"Tifa, you have to get out of here." Rude said.

Tifa shook her head, her face wet with tears. "I'll leave if you help me father out! Please save him!"

_Of all people to run into…!_ Reno cursed inside. _I can't leave Tifa here but…_

Rude glanced at Reno, whose jaw was tight with turmoil. Rude gulped, he felt the same way too.

But orders are orders.

"Sorry, Tifa." Rude said.

"… What?" Tifa asked, weakly. That was when she noticed what they were wearing. "Suits… You are the Turks?" She stared at them in shock.

"Our orders are to assist our colleague Cassie." Reno said, his voice hard and unfeeling. "We do not have time to help you. … I'm sorry." He said.

"Your father is dead already." Rude added. "I suggest you-"

"He's not dead!" Tifa yelled. "Please! I don't care if you're from Shinra! Help my father!"

"No." Reno said firmly. "Run, Tifa. And don't come back. We're… we're sorry, for everything we've done to you and your hometown. For lying to you our identities."

"Reno. Enough." Rude said.

"Right." Reno began to walk down the path to town. "I… I was glad to know you as a friend, Tifa." He said softly, but Tifa never heard those words.

Tifa hugged her father and cried again. She didn't know how long she cried. It could be just a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Finally, she put her father's hand down and stood up.

"Sephiroth, right? … Sephiroth did this to you, right?" Her soul empty, she staggered towards the blood-splattered sword stuck in the groud. "Sephiroth… SOLDIER… Shinra… Mako Reactor… I hate them all!" She yelled at the silent Reactor in front of her.

* * *

><p>In Icicle Inn, Meia woke up with a start. <em>It is a dream… it's just a dream. <em>Meia said to herself. It has been a long time since she dreamt about Tihan, Sunny and Carmelle's deaths. It bugged her for a long time but when she overcame her inner guilt because she felt responsible for their deaths, she stopped having dreams again.

_Till now._

Meia pulled her pigtails, having a bad feeling. She reached for her PHS. The time on the homescreen told her that it was 2 in the morning, and that there was a new message waiting for her. She opened it and it was a message from Jasper.

"Hey Meia, how have you been? Here's a quick one. Everyone (except for Cissnei, KK and I) have been activated to go to Nibelheim. Apparently SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth gone bonkers and is burning the town as I write. I feel like something bad has happened, or is going to happen. Don't worry about us though, we got it under control."

Meia's gotta hand it to Jasper for making something so serious sound so frivolous. She giggled as she read his message and then chided herself for being so immature. She stared at the screen after reading it. _Burning the town? Sephiroth? But… I thought he was a good guy!_

She switched on the lights and grabbed a book from her bag. Just that it wasn't any random book, but her father's journal. Meia still loved reading her father's journals, and has tucked some of them with her when she came to Icicle Inn. Reading her father's words comforted her, even if they provided no sound advice to her problems at the moment.

_Father probably would've known Sephiroth… He was around when Sephiroth was born, and Sephiroth has never stepped out of Shinra… Oh father, what was Sephiroth like? Why is he behaving like this now?_

Obviously, no answer came to her, so she closed the journal and fell back onto the bed, feeling unsettled again.

_Dear Gaia, _Meia hoped sincerely in her heart. _Don't let anything bad happen._

* * *

><p>Leia hid behind the wall, preventing herself from being spotted by Sephiroth, Cloud and Zack, who has already fainted along the metal walkway in front of her.<p>

The SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth stood by Jenova's head. "Mother… Come to the Promised Land with me…" Before Leia could cry out, he grabbed the head of Jenova and fell off the platform, into the Mako abyss below.

"Sephi… roth…" Was all the blond infantryman could whisper before falling by his side.

_What… what just happened? _Leia stared. In her hands held her PHS, she immediately called Tseng. _No time to waste. _

"Tseng, sir!" Leia almost cried in relief when she heard his voice. "Trouble!"

"Is that you, Leia? What's wrong?" Tseng asked.

"Sephiroth's… Sephiroth's…" Leia's voice was cracking in terror at the sight that she saw. She had seen everything between Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth. Now at the memory of it, she trembled violently and whimpered.

"Calm down, Leia."

Leia took a deep breath and replied in as calm a voice as she could muster. "Sephiroth fell into the Mako… He's probably dead."

"What?" Tseng fell silent for a brief moment. "… Good job, Leia. I'm sorry for making you witness whatever you've seen just now."

"…" More than being too frightened to talk, Leia was surprised to see Tseng show a caring side.

"Meet up with Cassie and the both of you stay outside of the Mako Reactor till we come."

"Sir… There are casualties. SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair… and an infantryman." _Who, when pierced by Sephiroth's Masamune, was so bent on killing Sephiroth that he pulled himself closer to the handle, toward Sephiroth, just to swing him out of balance. _Leia thought.

"… Alright. If they can move, bring them out of the Mako Reactor. If not, stay with them till we arrive.

"Yes sir." Leia flipped her PHS shut, wondering what consequences follow now.

"Leia!" Cassie cried as she ran up the stairs. "Is everything alright?" She stared at the mess around them. "What… What happened? Don't tremble so, I'm here." Cassie held Leia's hand tightly.

Leia nodded, a little shakily. Now that a comrade was beside her, she felt better.

* * *

><p>Rod walked behind Veld, feeling a little tight in his stomach. Flashes of what happened kept running through his mind in a phantasmorgorical manner.<p>

… _That biggest house __in the village… A research laboratory in the basement of the mansion… A new research project is going to start there today… _

… _I__nstructions from Hojo about liquidating some important documents hidden away in the archives room… Destroying secret documents? … If you come across anything that shouldn't be there, liquidate it…_

A part of Rod now wished that he didn't peek at the documents, for the contents of the documentation burned in his brain. The worst thing was that he can never breathe a word of it to a single soul.

… _Reports of strange activity lately… All the victims of the accidental bombing at XY town were disposed of at this location… I've started the experiments on the victims from XY town… The principles used to fuse Materia into the subjects' bodies… The direct fusion of Materia with human subjects is impossible… Under normal circumstances, one cannot embed Materia into the flesh without a prosthetic limb…_

Rod peeked at Veld, specifically at his prosthetic arm. "Is there something wrong?" Veld asked.

"N-Nothing, sir!" Rodzen quickly said.

When Veld appeared in the Shinra Mansion, Rod had never been gladder to see him. The mansion was as spooky as Rod initially thought. According to Veld, there were strange happenings, though the masterminds behind these were Dorky Faces. Defeating the monsters was easy, but the Dorky Faces have a strange ability of replaying one's history.

Of all things, the Dorky Faces morphed into Veld's nightmare.

_The burning town of Kalm… Veld's guilt-strickened face as he stood in the midst of it all… And his voice explaining it all… "So this really is that day… The destruction of Kalm. And the day I got this prosthetic arm." … "I was the one that ordered Kalm's destruction. And as a Turk, it was my responsibility to cover up what happened here." … "I killed my wife and daughter." … "I was the one that transported the survivors there. To the mansion in Nibelheim." _

"Rodzen." Veld's voice broke Rod's thoughts. Rod looked up to see Veld standing in front of him. They were standing outside the gate of the Shinra Mansion, about to return to Tseng and Professor Hojo.

"Yes, sir?"

"Usually I have no qualms of killing whoever who knows any bit of information regarding the destruction of Kalm."

Rod gulped. _Perhaps… this is a good way to solve my troubles. _"… Sir, if you need to take my life, I understand." _… Strange. Why am I so willing to accept death? Have I really become such a loyal subordinate of Veld so much so that it's not a shock to embrace death for his sake?_ Rod marveled at the change in himself. _Amazing how two years of being a Turk can completely change my perception of loyalty._

For the slightest moment, Rod saw Veld pulled a tight smile. "You misunderstand me, Rodzen." Veld never called the redhead Turk by his shortened name. "I simply want to remind you that whatever you've seen today…"

"I'll not breathe a word to anyone."

Veld looked at him, but clearly looked like he decided against saying something. "… Being a Turk is never easy." Veld simply said, walking towards the inn. "But I believe in each of you that you'll be good Turks."

"… Yes sir." Rod said. In light of the events that happened just an hour ago, Rod now understood why Veld was loyal to Shinra and even more protective over the Turks. After being the hand that destroyed his hometown, where his wife and daughter lived, the Turks were his only family now.

In the distance ahead, Rod could hear Professor Hojo's crackling voice. "Hee hee. Aren't the preparations for the mansion done yet?"

"Hey, they're back." Reno cocked his head at the two of them approaching.

"Sir! Rod!" Tseng nodded with a slightly relieved expression.

Veld nodded at Tseng and turned to the scientist. "Professor Hojo. The mansion is ready."

"I've been waiting for this…" Rod could almost hear glee in the old man's voice. "Start bringing the survivors into the mansion."

Veld looked at his Turks, who could barely conceal their confused or horrified faces. "… All of you. You heard him." He said with a warning tone.

"Hurry it up." Professor Hojo said, rubbing his hands as if showing his impatience. "I want this operation done fast, just like in Kalm."

_So it's true. _Rod thought. _After the destruction of Kalm, Professor Hojo performed experiments on the survivors… including Veld. He gave the prosthetic arm to him… _Rod felt sick in the stomach. _Damn it. Is this what Shinra has been doing behind our backs?_

Rod looked at Veld. "Sir. Are the people carried to the mansion going to be…?" Rod didn't know what words to use that might be appropriate. _Tortured? Mistreated? Killed?_

Veld did not reply. Reno, not used to the silence, immediately cut in. "You're not saying anything?" He asked of the head.

"In other words…" Rude pushed his sunglasses thoughtfully.

"Don't worry." Said Professor Hojo unconvincingly. "I'm not going to kill them. They're going to become the test samples for my brilliant new ideas. Kuchi Can't you imagine the possibilities? Hee hee hee." He giggled fiendishly.

Rod heard Tseng stiffle a groan within.

"… It's going to look weird if all the townspeople disappear at once." Reno said thoughtfully.

"That's been taken care of." Answered Veld finally. "Shin-Ra employees will rebuild this town and play out the parts of the villagers."

_They'd actually do that? That's sick._

As if hearing Rod's thoughts, Professor Hojo looked at him. "Your opinions do not matter. Just get them into the mansion." With that, he slithered off towards the direction of the Shinra Mansion.

Rude stepped forward. "Sir…"

"This is too dirty." Even Tseng chipped in, frowning.

"Can't keep doing stuff like this, you know." Reno tapped the EMR against his shoulder, though even his devil-may-care façade is not convincing.

Veld looked as if he wanted to say something, but finally he decided against it. "… Alright. You don't have to do anything. I'll handle everything here." Veld left in the direction of the Shinra Mansion as well. Slowly, one by one, Reno, Rude and Tseng left Rod too. Rod stood by the inn, thinking of the events that had just happened.

_What are the Turks…? _Rod thought to himself.

* * *

><p>2 October 0002, 1745 hours<p>

Meia rushed into the Turk Lounge. "Is everyone okay?" She cried concernedly.

"Meia!" Alana exclaimed, rising up. "What are you doing here?"

"Tseng gave me clearance to come back and help out. I'm flying back tomorrow, though." Meia glanced around the room and frowned at the few Turks. "Where is everyone else?"

"Veld, Tseng, Reno, Rude, Rod, Cassie and Leia are in Nibelheim. They are to clear up the mess that Sephiroth created."

Meia tugged at her pigtails. "Was it… Was it bad?" She asked hesitatingly. Jasper's message to her sounded more like Sephiroth going on a drunkened rampage in town. It was Tseng's no-nonsense, brief and succinct message following Jasper's, that had Meia wondering the severity of the situation.

Alana felt herself shudder as she thought of the scene. "Yes. It was. Some of them were glad that the younger ones like you, Jasper and Cissnei did not go. But Cissnei…" Alana glanced at the door leading into the corridor. "Cissnei is in bad shape. Said that she should've gone, at least she could've protected Zack."

"Brother Zack!" Meia exclaimed. "Is he…?"

"No, he isn't dead." Replied Kido from the corner.

"But they could be better." Alana argued in a rare show of emotion. "SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair and another infantryman are unconscious. They are kept in Nibelheim, for… for…" She bit her lip and could not bring herself to continue.

"Further experimentations." Finished Kido for her.

Meia stared at the double-gun user. "What do you mean… further experimen- No, I think I know what you mean." She shook her head violently at the thought of the misshapened monsters on Floor 60. "We got to go find Brother Veld and tell him!"

The gun specialist gave Meia a long and hard stare that made Meia blush painfully at the thought that it was probably Veld who orchestrated the order. "Surely you know that this is the dirty work that us Turks do." Alana said disapprovingly.

"I know! Killing people who might harm Shinra! But-" Meia's eyes welled up as she thought of Zack, the cheery, bright and optimistic Zack Fair. "But not to their own people!" She yelled at Alana, feeling bad at the same time for doing so. It was not her fault. None of this was anyone's fault. "What the heck is Shinra doing?" She yelled. "They could just bring Zack and Cloud back and we'll nurse them back to health!"

"They've suffered brain damage severe enough to be considered dead." Kido looked at her levelly. "Stop your nonsense, Meia. You, of all people, should know better than to kick a tantrum over a decision that none of us can control." Kido frowned.

"Kido!" Meia grabbed the man's blazer and shook it. "Please tell me we can do something?" She stopped as an idea entered her. "I know! I'm going to find Kunsel! Maybe with the help of SOLDIER-"

Her cheek suddenly tingled with a sharp pain.

"Kido!" Alana exclaimed.

Meia staggered at the force of Kido's slap. Then, her cheek burned with sensation.

"Calm down and think clearly about what you're doing now, Meia Etsky. You are not a child anymore. It's time to think before you respond." Kido said firmly. His brown eyes were hard and full of reproach, but also with regret that he slapped his comrade, much less a girl. "… This is how I treat Don Corneo's boys whenever they break down. Sorry."

Meia shook her head, Kido has been comfortable with how things run in the slums, when he was under Don Corneo. Usually, his stubbornness to do things his way gets him into trouble, but this time it shook some sense into Meia. Meia started sobbing uncontrollably. She felt Kido awkwardly holding her and patting her head sporadically. Despite the slap earlier on and Kido's clumsy efforts to comfort her, Meia's head began to clear and while crying, Meia began to see how hot-headed she was in the situation.

As the last of her sobs subsided, Meia pulled away and apologised for her immature actions. "… If Brother Tseng was around, he would've done the same too." She said humbly. "Are we not allowed to even tell their friends and family?"

"It is orders that we do not reveal any information regarding their whereabouts to anyone." Alana said gently.

Meia looked at her mentor. "They are not even supposed to believe that he's dead?"

"No information." Said Alana. "It's hard to accept this, I know. But you are a-"

"Turk, I know." Meia said stiffly.

"Everyone in Shinra will know that these men are killed in action, except the higher-ups and the Turks. Their families will not be informed unless absolutely necessary. Revealing their whereabouts is only punishable by death."

"… So Sister Cissnei is…"

"In her room. She will be fine by tomorrow." Alana answered. "All of us will be. No matter how dirty the job is, how traumatic the experience. We are the Turks, we recover, we do the dirty jobs and we hide our feelings, thoughts and opinions till the day we die." She nodded with a dead determination in her tone. "Because we are the Turks."

Meia stared at the carpeted floor, thinking of everyone else. "Where are Mason, Haato, KK and Jasper?" She asked quietly.

As if on cue, the lounge doors opened. Mason, KK and Jasper walked in. All were surprised to see her, but greeted her warmly. Admist the conversations, KK explained that they were trying to cheer Cissnei up. She felt so guilty about Zack's demise that she refused to eat dinner. Jasper added that KK and he just came back from a mission that day, which was why they were not dispatched to Nibelheim. The others just returned from Nibelheim hours ago, exhausted because they worked through the night to handle the incident's aftermath. According to Mason, the rest of the Turks will continue to remain in Nibelheim to assist the aftermath issues 'and most likely not sleep for another two nights'.

Meia looked at the martial-artist. "Where is Haato?"

"Initially supposed to return with us," Replied Mason. "But he saw Leia in such a traumatised state that he decided to stay there and accompany her." He shook his head.

"She saw everything that happened in the Mako Reactor." Alana explained.

Despite the situation, Meia found herself grinning. "Haato is sure sincere in his concern for Leia."

Alana shook her head and placed a hand on her forehead. "Of all things to comment on, you want to talk about Haato and Leia…"

"But you're right." Mason grinned. "Haato is dead serious about Leia. We just hope that Leia sees that someday."

Meia folded her arms. "So the rest of them are in Nibelheim…"

"To help coordinate the Shinra employees." Kido answered. "The town will be rebuilt and the employees will be there as part of the façade."

Jasper shuddered. "I must comment. That is a sick way of covering up their deeds."

There is a final question that Meia needed to ask. "… And Sephiroth?"

"According to Leia, he jumped into the Lifestream." Replied Mason.

"What?"

Mason nodded. "No one knows why he did so. I hope we never know."

"The real question is… Why?"

"About that…" Mason broke into a small grin. "It's a really long story."

* * *

><p>Thank you for taking the time to read my story. It is a busy period for all of us, but I'm still here and I'll continue uploading my stories faithfully. Please read and review!<p>

I've managed to squeeze LOTS of information in this chapter, a scene in Last Order (where I sneakily placed in an original scene where Tifa was holding her father's dead body, check out the original Last Order OVA if you're free!), a Meia scene in Icicle Inn (it has been a long time since I mentioned Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle so I might as well :)), then some BC scenes. it was a long chapter (in terms of how condensed the chapter was), but I hope you liked it!


	48. Loss

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 48 – Loss**

In her overnight stay back in the headquarters, Meia learnt many new things. One of which was that Jasper has changed his mind about Reno… for the better.

"Then, I was telling Reno, 'There's no way we can tackle that Behemoth!' I mean, come on, Meia! That thing has got to be the BIGGEST thing I've EVER seen!" Jasper said, throwing his hands out in exaggeration, but with shining eyes, Jasper continued. "And Reno replied, 'There's no mission impossible for the Turks!' And (get this!), he took down the Behemoth with just an EMR!" He fell back on his chair, clearly impressed. "He seriously makes me feel like the EMR is the most powerful weapon in the world." He held his scarlet nunchakus wistfully.

Meia only stared at him with much amusement. "So you don't dislike him anymore?" She asked, incredulous. After all, Jasper often said to Meia (after he confessed his feelings for her) that he'll never forgive Reno for hurting her like that. "You really let go of your dislike easily." She smiled. "Not that it's a bad thing." She added.

"Please don't get me wrong, Meia." Jasper said seriously. "I still… I still have feelings for you." He said shyly. "And I really didn't think Reno was a good guy then. But you were right, meeting him face-to-face made me realise that he wasn't too bad. I have full respect for his work attitude and perseverance."

Meia nodded. "That IS something worthy of him."

Jasper grinned. "But you are someone worthy too!" He said cheerfully. Meia blushed and avoided gazing into his bright blue eyes. "So… I don't know, I respect Reno and at the same time, don't want to give you up to him!" He laughed cheerfully. "Could I have the best of both worlds?" With that, Meia rolled her eyes at him, but was rest assured that Jasper will not do anything nasty to Reno. According to Mason, Reno wasn't malicious to Jasper either.

Despite understanding that the time shared in the cafeteria during dinner was a long overdue one, Meia turned in early, telling the other Turks that she wanted to rest before returning to Icicle Inn the following day. The Turks bid her goodnight and continued with their conversations.

She returned to her room but did not switch on the lights. The room was pitch-dark, but Meia was not afraid of the dark. There was a time that she was afraid of the dark (because of a horror story that she read) until Rude cleverly pointed out that she had been living in the slums anyway, where it can get really dark outside. The darkness surrounded her and provided the solitude that Meia desired the entire night. Meia relaxed and not surprisingly, she cried.

Zack Fair wasn't an extremely close friend of hers. No, they were not buddies, nor do they hang out often, nor share secrets and look to each other for advice. If anything, the only reason why they hung out together was because of Kunsel. However, Meia treasured the time that she spent with the SOLDIER, especially when he was the one responsible for shaping her combat skills.

Yes, Meia missed Zack Fair terribly, but that was not the reason why she cried.

It was the solace of her room, where the darkness reminded her of the old days where she would wake up in the middle of the night, on top of the truck where Sunny, Tihan, Carmelle and her slept, staring into the darkness around Sector 4 and feeling the cold air and silence… that Meia's mind began to clear. And there was only one thing that bugged her enough to tears.

_I can't stand the way things work around here anymore._

At last, the picture perfect pieces that held her ideal of being a Turk fell.

_I can't believe that I was so naïve._ Meia stared at the floor, wondering why for once, her mind was unable to conjure a reasonable explanation to everything that she was feeling. _What are we Turks supposed to be? Soulless executors of someone's conquest?_

A soft knock on the door startled Meia out of her thoughts. "Meia?" She heard KK ask on the other side. "Are you alright?" Meia scrambled onto her feet and opened the door. KK walked in, her youthful-looking face frowning. "Why is it so dark here? Oh Meia…" She said softly when she saw Meia's tear-stained face. "I knew it… You were affected by what happened to Zack."

Meia always appreciated Katherine in a time like this. Blunt as her words may be, KK was always one of the first few to notice emotional changes in her colleagues. Meia nodded numbly, but said nothing. Sighing, KK walked into her room and closed the door behind her, causing them to be in darkness again.

"I guess you wouldn't want me to switch on the lights." KK said cheerfully. "So that I won't see you cry." Meia laughed, her voice cracking as she did so. Trust KK to be so sensitive and tactless at the same time. "It's more comforting sometimes, huh? To be in the dark." There, her tone softened and Meia knew that she was recalling her own painful past. "I'm totally fine talking to you in the dark! Well, but of course you may not want me here because you need to be alone and all?"

"If I wanted to be alone I wouldn't have answered the door." Meia said simply, though KK could tell that she was smiling.

KK snorted. "You're right."

They sat in comfortable silence, till Meia spoke again. "I am such a hypocrite."

"Hm?"

Meia sat up straighter and turned to KK. In the small beams of moonlight seeping through the blinds, Meia could see KK's dark short hair and equally dark eyes looking at her. "I say that Shinra is a necessary predator, yet I hate its way." Meia grabbed a tuft of hair and absent-mindedly braided them. "I despise how Shinra objectifies humans as mere tools for its success, yet I am the executor of its goals." She said, her fingers working fast. "I believe in peace and happiness, yet I advocate the monster that deprives others of these things."

KK was silent as she heard Meia speak. When she first heard Meia talk about how she was willing to forgive Shinra and the Wutai War for taking away her friends' lives, KK was amazed. She could not fathom how a child could possess such a magnanimous heart to forgive the people who orchestrated the death of her childhood. Meia strongly believed and tried to convince others to believe that every man, every Turk, is a good person at heart. Katherine knew. She often noticed Meia volunteering for Midgar patrols and was one of the Turks least susceptible to anger when faced with the citizen's taunting. Is Meia doubting her conviction?

"No, Sister KK," Meia said and KK then realized that she voiced her last thought aloud. "I still believe that there's good in all of us. Though nowadays I'm quite tempted to modify my belief to there's good in all of us, even if it's just a little."

Katherine chortled. "Tell me about it!" She grinned, recounting to Meia how a man nearly stormed up to Jasper and herself earlier on today, threatening to punch them because they were Turks. "So what's bugging you?" She nudged Meia gently. "Still uncomfortable with killing people?"

Meia shook her head. "I'm okay with it. Not that I enjoy it, but I've gotten over it then with Mr. Dex- I mean, Apollo of the Wutai Wings (A/N: Wow, such nostalgic names!). There were some cases that still haunt me once in a while but I'm less affected by them. And I should. After all, I've been a Turk for almost three years." Katherine nodded in agreement. Meia shook her head to shake anymore thoughts out of her head. She needed to focus on what was making her this upset. "I'm tortured by the fact that we would go to great lengths to sacrifice people for our own pleasure. I mean, Brother Zack was taken away for further experiments?" She shook her head. "What about Brother Zack's parents and friends? And that infantryman's relatives too?" Meia clenched her fists. "Don't they deserve to know what happened to the person that they love?"

"Oh Meia…"

"No, you're not getting it!" Meia interrupted. "It's so unethical! PLUS! Brother Zack is serving Shinra! That's like…" Meia scrunched her face, trying to think of a good example. "… Killing the dog… that er… that saved your life… Or something." She ended lamely and groaned in frustration. "I'm so bugged about this that I can't even think of a good example." She stood up and yelled. "I cannot simply sit here and watch these things happen!"

Katherine didn't reply, choosing to let Meia calm down and think of the words she'd just spoken. Finally, Meia sat down again and sighed in resignation. "You know that unethical it may be, it's the undeniable truth of what Shinra is capable of doing, and has been doing." KK explained quietly.

"… I know." Meia stared at the floor in front of her. "I know that there's nothing I can do. We Turks are employed for our wit and strength, not our opinions. And no matter how hard the mission is we'll do it because we're the Turks…. I just feel at loss…" She pursed her lips. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Turk." She said softly.

Another silence fell between them. Meia was finally done with her ranting and was left speechless in her own thoughts.

"Meia." KK finally spoke softly. "You know, I had a big family in Corel." Meia kept quiet, realizing that finally she was going to hear about Katherine's story, for the knife-user was mysterious in her past. They all are. "I had ten brothers and sisters. On top of that, I live with my grandparents. It was hard trying to live with almost twenty people in a house, but life was happy." She took her knife and flipped it from side to side, admiring the shiny surface. "The men mined while the women sewed or gossiped. Life was simple." Here KK looked woeful. "But Shinra took everything away. My entire family." She laughed, but it was without mirth. "I never wanted to seek revenge as badly as I did that day. So…"

"You became a Turk for revenge?" Meia cut in with her question. She was shocked at KK's story, for the cheerful Turk never revealed anything of that sort.

Katherine laughed again. "Yeah, I did. It was amazing that Veld accepted me, knowing that I was from Corel." She tossed her knife up in the air and caught it by the handle perfectly. "That was almost 5 years ago."

Meia stared at KK. The fact that KK revealed this to her meant that…

"You've given up on your revenge?" She whispered.

KK smiled. "I wouldn't say give up. I simply… grew to like the Turks. I realized that the people who burned my town were responsible for doing it. They probably felt guilt for destroying the lives of many people… just like how I feel when I destroy the lives of others."

"Sister KK…"

"The truth is, you're not the only one who felt this." KK turned to face her. "Every one of us went through this phase of doubt towards Shinra." She grinned. "But all of us have accepted this as a job, left our morals in our rooms whenever we leave for missions. Still, we choose to remain as a Turk. Why?" She laughed. "We like the Turks. Yes, most of us hate Shinra, but we like the Turks. We like Veld. This is why we haven't been too proactive in searching for him." She admitted sheepishly. "Veld is strict, indeed. But he cares for the Turks way more than anyone else."

"I know…" Meia nodded. "This is why Cissnei is so loyal to Shinra."

"Ahh yes," KK said, grinning. "I suggest you don't bring this issue to her at all." She shook her head. "I have no idea if she's loyal to Shinra or not. Maybe this time round, she will be quite shakened up, with Zack's demise and all."

Meia nodded. "I had no idea that all of you feel this way."

"No one will admit it though." KK said and stood up from where she was sitting. "After all, a Turk doesn't have emotions." She smiled at Meia one last time before leaving the room.

Meia stared after the closed door, her heart not feeling better at KK's words. _But at least I know that I'm not alone._ She thought. _I just need to break us out of here… without losing our lives. _She stared ahead of her, wondering what the future held for the Turks and her. All the events were jumbled in her head. She probably just needs time to sort out her thoughts and maybe, one day, find a solution that will answer everything.

* * *

><p>3rd October 0002<p>

"I can't believe you're going back to Icicle Inn again!" He pouted. "I'm going to miss you THIS MUCH!" He stretched his arms and waved them childishly.

"I'll be back soon!" Meia beamed.

"Well," Jasper stood up and picked up his breakfast tray. "You better finish whatever you need to do while you're here. Who knows when you'll be back again?"

_Indeed… _

Which was why Meia found herself pressing the button to SOLDIER Floor 49. When the elevator doors opened, Meia immediately sensed the gloomy air on Floor 49. SOLDIERs were dragging their feet. Some were even crying and others comfortingly patted their backs.

"Don't cry already, Luxiere." Meia heard one of them say. "Zack Fair was indeed, a good friend to all of us."

Meia walked further before she could hear Luxiere's reply.

"Hey, Turk, what's your business here?" Someone behind her shouted. She turned and saw a SOLDIER Third Class approaching here, a look full of displeasure that a non-SOLDIER was trespassing their floors. _Arrogance even in the news of Brother Zack's death. _She pursed her lips.

Nevertheless, she didn't want to pick a fight. She didn't have time for that. She replied that she was looking for Kunsel. Thankfully, the SOLDIER Third Class did not harrass her further. He merely pointed out the direction where the SOLDIER Second Class was and said, "Be careful with what you say, Turk. He just lost a good friend." The SOLDIER gestured at his comrades. "We all did."

"You don't say?" Meia muttered in irritation as she whizzed past him.

She found Kunsel in the lobby right outside Training Room 49. His helmet was on as usual, but even the helmet could not mask the SOLDIER's grief. Meia felt it, the same helplessness that she felt when she saw the dead bodies of her friends. Just that Kunsel didn't see the supposedly-dead body of Zack.

"Kunsel." She said softly.

At the sound of her voice, Kunsel looked up. "Meia." Kunsel said. He removed his helmet and Meia brushed his brown hair aside gently. He laughed. "Don't look so worried. I'm not on the verge of breaking down."

Meia bit her lip. "Kunsel…" She wished that she could tell Kunsel the truth: that Zack Fair was alive and locked somewhere in Nibelheim. But orders are orders. "Kunsel, Brother Zack has been a good friend to you and me. We will not forget him."

Kunsel looked at her with his chocolate brown eyes. Whenever he was without his helmet, Meia was always reminded of the Christmas party years ago, how warm and sincere his eyes were. Now, they were full of pain. "Meia." He said, holding onto her hand. "Tell me, do you believe that Zack Fair is dead?"

The words gripped her like a cold hand. Her mind kicked into gear as she thought of the best lie. Then, she remembered that the best lie is within the truth. "It is according to the announcement that Zack Fair was killed in action." She said, almost stiffly.

"But what do YOU think?" Kunsel asked again.

"… I… I don't know." She said, wishing that he'll drop the topic.

Kunsel released her hand slowly. "You know what?" He smiled. "Others will say I'm crazy. But…" He dropped into a whisper. "I think that Zack is still alive."

Meia gasped and stared at him. "What makes you think so?" She whispered back, thinking inwardly that Tseng ought to award her as the best actor of the moment.

"Look at the people who have been claimed to be killed in action." Kunsel said again, the knowledgeable edge in his tone returning. "Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos... Many more that you would've not known." Kunsel ended with a smile. "Until the day I see his dead body, I'll believe that Zack is not dead. I'll keep sending him mails till I get a reply."

"I… I gotta go, Kunsel." Meia said, rising from her seat. "I… I want to believe that Brother Zack is not dead but…" She shook her head. "I wish I have your faith."

"You did." Kunsel smiled. "You taught this to me just months ago. In Training Room 49."

Meia glanced at the Training Room for a while before she realised that indeed, just months ago, she tried to explain to Kunsel about her confidence that Reno has feelings for her (A/N: Refer to Chapter 40). She smiled. "See you around, Kunsel."

"Be careful in Icicle Inn."

_And keep that faith going. _She thought.

* * *

><p>In Nibelheim, Reno and Rude just finished briefing a Shinra employee on the characteristics of the previous townsperson who inhabited the house.<p>

"Luckily for us, we were here for seven months previously." Reno said sarcastically. "Perfect people to organize the staff to behave like they've been living here since forever." He grumbled and walked out of the house.

"…" Rude folded his arms and offered no reply.

"Mr. Reno!" As Reno looked up, he saw a man running towards them. The burly man came to stop and wiped his sandy brown hair to the side. "Mr. Reno, Mr. Rude," The man said politely. "I was given the role of a man named 'Edward Burns'. Could you tell me more about him?"

Upon the mention of the familiar name, Reno couldn't help but grin. "Well, Edward, or we call him 'Eddie', is a nice, big guy who likes to pick on good-looking people and call them 'scrawny'!" His grin widened. "But he lost in an arm-wrestling match and the last I saw of him, he was sulking in a corner."

"Reno," Rude said as the Shinra staff gave him thanks and ran off. "You are supposed to give him facts, not trivial things like these." Reno heard a hint of disapproval in his tone but only grinned cheekily.

* * *

><p>4 October 0002<p>

When Meia returned to Icicle Inn again, it was past midnight already. Using the helicopter was a luxury in itself, much less a Shinra Airship (_Like what Brother Reno and Brother Rude traveled in months ago._ Meia thought with a mock bitterness in her voice). Meia was scheduled to take a helicopter in the early afternoon and would've reached Icicle Inn for dinner (A helicopter ride to Icicle Inn is just an hour longer than to Banora in the Mideel Continent). However, to her dismay, the helicopters and other air-transportations were dispatched to Nibelheim and Wutai.

Therefore, Meia took the grueling journey to the icy continent via boat, whereby she docked at Bone Village and trekked the mountainous path to Icicle Inn. Meia half-regretted not stopping for a while to enjoy Jasper's hometown, famous for its Earl Fray Tea.

Luckily Meia decided not to falter in Bone Village. When she arrived in Icicle Inn, it was approaching midnight. _I can't believe I took 10 hours to travel to Icicle Inn. _She mused tiredly. _Not sure if I should be glad because 10 hours is really fast, or that 10 hours is really tiring._ Meia was so exhausted from the 5-hour trek that she went upstairs and fell asleep on the bed instantly. It was only when Meia woke up the next morning in Icicle Inn that she remembered.

_I didn't see Brother Reno again… _She mused. _It's as if we're playing hide and seek. How long can we stay away from each other? Perhaps it's better for the both of us too._

She stepped out of her house and on the newly ice-frosted pavement. Then again, Icicle Inn is frosted with ice all year round (except the summer, which she'd just missed).

"Meia!" Heidi, one of the friends that she made while in Icicle Inn, waved at her. Meia waved at the brunette. She grinned and ran towards Meia. "I heard you went back to your company for an emergency." She said. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine." Meia said, a little sadly. "Hello, Randy!" She waved at Heidi's childhood friend.

"Yo, Meia!" Randy grinned as he walked over, slinging an arm over Heidi as he reached them. "You sure left real quick." He observed. "What happened?"

Meia flushed in memory at the speed that she packed her stuff and left upon seeing that Tseng gave her permission to return. "A friend of mine died." She said.

Heidi covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She said gently, reaching for Meia's hand.

"Don't be sorry for my loss, it was… inevitable." Meia looked away before her eyes gave away the half-lie that she said.

"Was he a good friend?"

"We are not close, per se." Meia explained. "But he was the one who taught me many things while I was in the company." She smiled. "Most importantly, he taught and led by example to smile in the face of adversity."

Randy nodded. "Sounds like a good guy. Cheer up, and live a good life for him."

_Live a good life for him… _Meia smiled. That was sound advice, indeed.

"Hey! What are you laughing at?" Randy demanded.

"She thinks your advice is stupid." Teased Heidi.

Meia quickly shook her head. "No! Of course not!" She laughed.

Randy reached for Meia's head and patted her hair. "Meia appreciates good advice, unlike someone I know…" He glanced at Heidi cheekily.

_Uh oh. _Meia thought. Meia figured that Heidi likes Randy. And Meia could feel the slightest tinge of jealousy from Heidi whenever Randy treated Meia well. However, it was obvious that Randy likes Heidi too, but none of them could tell that their feelings are mutual.

_I need to sit the both of them down and reveal this to them someday. Things are easier to handle when feelings are confessed and expressed. _Meia decided. She looked at the sky, white as a blank piece of paper. _So tell me, Brother Reno, why are we taking so long to tell each other how we feel?_

* * *

><p>Is it me or this a really short chapter?<p>

The scene of Reno and Rude fitting in the job for the townspeople coverup was a pure coincidence. I didn't have this in mind when I sent Reno and Rude to Nibelheim. It was just that I was writing about the coverup and I thought "Oh yeah, didn't the two of them go to Nibelheim for seven months? They'll know the townspeople very well, at least close enough to simulate."

As for the traveling to Icicle Inn from Midgar? 10 hours is not realistic from Midgar to Icicle Inn? To those who think it's too fast, I'm just making a small estimation since it takes 5 hours to reach Icicle by air. Too long for a girl to handle? Come on, the Turks are on their feet all the time, 10 hours is chicken feet!

Above were my quick notes as I was typing the chapter. How quickly time flew. I'm already done with the Nibelheim incident. Very soon I'll be remarking how time flies because the CC storyline is ending.

Please read and review, it'll mean the world to me. I'm serious.


	49. Disappointment

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Once again, folks, it's the new year! Yes people, it's the Year 0003. 3 years have passed since Reno first found Meia in Sector 4. Let's hope for the best in this year =D

**Chapter 49 – Disappointment**

3rd January 0003, 0830 hours

Tseng was about to leave his desk when his PHS rang. "Tseng, speaking."

"Brother Tseng?" He heard Meia's voice over the PHS. "I've come to give my weekly report."

Tseng checked his watch. He could spare a few minutes for Meia, who was still in Icicle Inn. "What's the status?"

"I've gone to Modeoheim today. The area is completely desolate." Meia replied. "It has been overrun with weeds and snow. I think I'm the only person to visit it for a long time."

"Good job. Did anyone discover that you were missing?"

"Heheh, about that…"

Tseng felt his heart sink when he heard her tone. "Who knows about it?"

"It's not what you think, Brother Tseng!" Meia quickly clarified. "It's just that the native Icicle Inn citizens wanted to bring me there to look around. You know, one of those 'let's go somewhere desolate to explore!' activities!"

"No, I don't know those sort of activities." Replied Tseng in an unamused tone. He heard Meia giggle a little and he frowned. Does she still think that it's a game?

"Brother Tseng, don't look down on what I can do." Replied Meia seriously. "I'm 15 years old. I know better than to give myself away. I won't give you the chance to be disappointed with me!"

"You don't have to explain." Tseng narrowed his eyes. He realised that standing by his desk, talking to her, was going to waste his time, so he walked towards the elevator. "Just answer me: Will I get my clearance for the missiles anytime soon?"

"Yes." Her confident voice was assurance enough.

"That's all I need to know." Tseng nodded. "I'm heading to Wutai now so-"

"Wutai?" Meia asked.

"That's where the headquarters of AVALANCHE are located." Answered Tseng, pressing the buttons to Floor 55. "Mason and I are heading for infiltration, because the defenses are too strong in the headquarters. Planting Legend's bomb inside the building will be sufficient to take down the entire place."

"I see…" Meia said, her voice thoughtful. "There are still many things I need to ask of Fuhito but I guess I'll never know. … Be careful."

"I'll update you again." With a flip, Tseng ended the call.

* * *

><p>The phonecall with Meia was hours ago. Now Tseng stood outside the Wutai Pagoda, broken by Legend's explosive.<p>

"Mason…" He frowned at the massive debris in front of him. Mason was late, too late for Tseng's comfort. _Why didn't you come back? What happened…? _Tseng folded his arms and wondered if there was anything that happened to his subordinate.

From the corner of his eye, a little girl ran towards the debris as well. _Probably a lost kid or a child of an AVALANCHE operative's. _He thought. She has distinctive Wutai features, dark short hair that touches her ears and a white and green bandanna that completes her boyish look.

The girl stopped at the pagoda and searched for signs of life. "It's all caved in… Mason…" She said sadly.

_Mason?_

Tseng faced her and looked at her properly. "You know Mason?"

The girl turned back to Tseng and grinned childishly. "Sorta. He was a good one… He got caught in the blast, though…"

"Damn… He was inside when the explosion happened?" Tseng grabbed his PHS and punched some buttons. _This was not in my expectations! _He frowned as he tried to find the right words to say to inform Veld of the loss.

The girl watched him curiously. "So you know Mason too?"

"We work together."

"Why are you doing this to Wutai?" She asked, throwing a hand at the greenery around her.

Tseng stiffened at her response. Mason must've told her about what he was going to do. "That's all this organization-"

"I know." The girl interrupted. "They're an anti-Shinra organization, right?" She gasped and stared at Tseng. "And you destroyed the building, which means you guys are…"

"Tseng!" They heard Mason call out. "Oh! Yuffie, you're here." Mason reached them with a huge grin on his face. Mason patted the girl's head. "I was able to get out all thanks to Yuffie here." When Yuffie squirmed out of his grip, Mason frowned but did not ask anything.

Tseng let out an audible sigh of relief. He flipped the PHS shut and turned to the martial-artist. "So you were okay. Don't worry me like that."

"Sorry." Mason said humbly, scratching his sandy-brown hair.

Yuffie stepped back from the two of them with a look that Tseng could easily recognise anywhere. Hatred. And disappointment. "Mason…"

"Yuffie?" The ever-friendly Mason looked worried upon seeing the little girl tense. "What's wrong?"

"You…" She pointed a slender finger at them. "Get out of Wutai!" She ran towards Mason to kick him, but Mason easily dodged her attack. Tseng stepped back, resisting the urge to shoot at the sudden attack.

"Y- Yuffie?"

"You're Shinra!" Yuffie glared at Mason. "Were you trying to trick me? Damage Wutai some more?"

"No, you've misunderstood. I wasn't trying to fool you." Mason hurriedly explained.

Yuffie pointed at the broken pagoda. "I hate them. But! I hate Shinra more!" She spat lethally. Before Mason could say another word, she ran away, swift like the wind.

Tseng felt his body relax a little and he walked towards Mason. "What… What was that about?" He asked of the ex-detective. Mason only stared at the empty path and didn't know how to reply Tseng.

* * *

><p>11 April 0003<p>

Of all the places that Jasper's wealthy parents have brought him to, they've never brought him to Rocket Town. That was why Jasper was feeling excited. Not only was he the acting escort for the President at the Space Launch tomorrow, he was visiting somewhere new.

"This is amazing!" Jasper exclaimed enthusiastically as the aeroplanes whizzed through the air gracefully. "They fly as if they were one airplane. I've never seen anything like this before. You wouldn't think it's a rehearsal."

Beside Jasper, Rufus Shinra harrumphed. It was clear that he was bored with the things happening around him. "It's pointless."

The young man gasped. "Sir? What are you saying?" He stared at the man as if he said something wrong. "This is the air show for the rocket launch ceremony! This is Shinra's crowning glory!" He grinned.

"Crowning glory?" Rufus rolled his eyes in contempt. "Where's the merit in sending some rocket up into space? All of this pomp with the air show and this ceremony are a waste."

Jasper kept quiet on the Vice-President's words. _Veld told me to keep an eye on Rufus Shinra today, though he did not mention why. I can't figure it out still. All I can observe now is that Mr. Rufus looks very bored. _His thoughts drifted as he continued staring at the planes. _Meia would love to see this, if she was here._

"Oh!" Jasper said to himself as the aeroplane door opened. _The air show pilot has disembarked._

Jasper looked closely at the pilot, intending to tell his father how talented the pilot was. Upon seeing the pilot's light blond hair and the signature cigarette hanging from his mouth, Jasper widened his eyes.

"Hey!" The pilot waved as he approached them.

Jasper gaped at the pilot. "A-are you…"

"Impressed?" The pilot gestured at the planes behind him. "Those are my babies!" He said proudly. One could not have been more proud of his own treasure.

"Cid Highwind!" Jasper exclaimed, star-struck. _He is famous for being one of the best pilots in the Planet! Well, there aren't many pilots to begin with… _

Rufus didn't look as impressed. "You're the one in charge of those flying contraptions-"

"Don't call them contraptions." Cid said with a slightly threatening voice. "Those are my partners. That baby's called the Tiny Bronco." He grinned at the aeroplane, as if admiring a beautiful woman.

"I don't care about the flying contraption's name." Rufus frowned. "Just what are you thinking? This is a rehearsal, not the real thing. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know that."

Cid waved casually. "'Course I do. Just leave the Shinra No. 26 to me!"

_Shinra No. 26…_ Jasper recalled the mission details, explained by Tseng. He could almost hear the details being voiced out in Tseng's voice. _A rocket that will be launched into space. It'll be the first time mankind explored the space beyond the Planet. Being the main company sponsoring the event, Shinra attempts to gain the people's trust in the company by supporting the Space Program…._

"_And if Shinra fails to gain the people's trust?" Jasper remembered asking Tseng._

_Tseng looked at the nunchaku-user as if he was asking an idiotic question. "There isn't room for failure." Was the leader's reply._

Rufus' voice woke Jasper from his thoughts. "…This rehearsal doesn't mean a thing."

"Don't you worry none about that." Cid placed his hands on his hips and stared at the Tiny Bronco, gleaming brightly against the sun. "The sky was calling me and I answered, that's all. What are you going to do but answer back?"

_That's a true man of the sky right there. _Jasper thought in awe. _He's just as legendary as I've heard._

"Look, Vice President." Cid turned back to Rufus and pleaded. "Tell the executives this for me. I'm gonna be the first one up there to reach the moon. Wait for it!"

"I'm cheering you on too, Mr. Cid!" Jasper chipped in, but held his tongue when he realised that he spoke unnecessarily.

Finally, the pilot seemed to have noticed the young Turk. "Yeah! So you get it too, huh? What's yer name?"

"Jasper, of the Turks. I'm acting as the President's escort today." Jasper saluted happily.

"Hmph." Rufus huffed at the side. "Stupid. It's all stupid."

"Hey!" Cid glared at the man crossly.

"I don't care about this outer space stuff. My interests lie firmly on the ground. Our company should be there too."

Cid tossed his cigarette on the ground with a snort. "Yer so young, but so cynical. Not like yer pop – that man's got dreams, see! He built the company from the ground up. See, the scope's of your respective visions is different, the scope!"

"Hmph." Rufus looked away. "Cid… Let's drop the talk about my father, hmm?"

Jasper glanced at Rufus from the corner of his eye. _They… they don't seem to be on good terms. _He thought. _The President and Vice-President. _He frowned. The thought of them reminded him of his father. His fathrer was highly disappointed when Jasper insisted on becoming a Turk. His father had hoped that Jasper would take over his jewelry business, but allowed Jasper to be a Turk nevertheless. He knew that Jasper will soon grow tired of work and will return to Bone Village.

_If only he knew what consequences I need to bear in order to leave Shinra. _Jasper thought sadly.

A strange sound in the distance caught Cid's attention. "Huh? That sounds like an engine." He whipped his head and saw some men getting too close to the aeroplane. "What are those guys doing?" He shouted.

"They're stealing the Tiny Bronco!" Jasper exclaimed when he realised what the strangers were doing. He pulled out his nunchaku but Cid was one step ahead.

"Like hell you will!" He ran to the side and grabbed a spear. "That's my baby! I'm not gonna let !%#&* like you touch her!" He growled.

"Cid! Wait!" Jasper stopped the pilot. "You're the only astronaut in the world. If something happens to you, the launch can't go on. I'll go." Turning to Rufus, Jasper bowed. "Rufus, sir, I'll be back soon."

"Whatever." Was the nonchalant reply. Jasper nodded and ran out into the grassy area, his nunchaku ready.

From behind him, he heard Cid call out, "I'm counting on you! The Tiny Bronco's in your hands!"

* * *

><p>0830 hours, Modeo Ravine.<p>

Meia stood in the midst of the snowy mountains, admiring the view in front of her. She never failed to be in awe of the magnificent place that was Icicle Inn, even if it was only a pure white sheet of snow in front of her.

Modeoheim is simply a twenty-minute walk from Icicle Inn, but traversing to the neighbouring ghost town can be a hassle if the weather is cruel. Meia, however, saw for herself how accurate her brain recalled details. Granted that if a snowstorm didn't come her way and create an avalanche of sorts, Meia could safely find her way back to Icicle Inn from Modeo Ravine.

_Just a bit further. _She told herself. She trudged through the snowy path, her teeth chattering due to the extreme cold.

A short distance ahead, Meia stopped. A dilapidated factory and warehouse stood in front of her. To her right laid the tunnel leading to Modeoheim. Finally, alone in her own thoughts and the howling winds around her, Meia thought about Zack Fair. _Brother Zack… _She hugged herself sadly. _Things have changed since you returned from Modeoheim… What happened?_

A part of her was tempted to go inside and explore. And Meia would've really done so, if not for the sudden thought reminding her that the missile-carriers were on their way to Modeoheim. She regretfully stepped away from the Mako facility and headed towards the tunnel. There probably wasn't anything worth exploring, but Meia was hoping that maybe she could find clues, anything that could explain what happened to Zack Fair.

_But nothing I do can help him now. And I'll never know what happened to Brother Zack. _There were many things that Meia learnt while being a Turk, but the most important one to her was that no matter how hard she tried, she can never find the answers to everything.

When she emerged from the tunnel and stepped into Modeoheim, she smiled in spite of the desolate sight. _I can imagine that it was a nice, quaint town._ She thought. _Brother Marshall… _She was reminded of her former colleague, Marshall, who specialised in nunchakus and was a master of disguise. He died with another Turk, Patricia, under the sword of SOLDIER First Class Genesis Rhapsodos in Banora._ You used to be from Modeoheim, though it ceased to exist after you became a Turk. You never did tell me what happened to it. And now you're gone… _Meia sighed. _Why does it feel like the people around me are falling into misfortune? Nevertheless, I will push on and fight for what's good for myself and the people around me. I will not be a disappointment._

She did a quick check around the town for any signs of life or anything important that she might have missed when she first explored the place with Heidi and Randy. There was an eerie silence and it spooked her. Finally, just as she was reaching the tunnel again, her PHS rang and she flipped it open. "Hello?"

"This is Shinra H-28. Target has been locked." The static voice responded. "Missiles will be within launch radius in ten minutes. All to evacuate, now."

"Understood." Meia said. "Everything is clear, so just… go ahead." She ended the call and took a quick glance over Modeoheim. "Goodbye, Modeoheim." She said softly. "I'll remember your existence… because of Brother Marshall and Brother Zack." With that, she turned her back on the old town and walked back into the tunnel.

Meia didn't have time to be nostalgic and sentimental. She had exactly ten minutes to return to Icicle Inn. She needed to sneak back into the house through the backdoor, opened by Mrs. Glasko, and jump into bed before anyone finds her. Meia made use of the fact that it was a Sunday morning to execute the obliteration plan. Most Icicle Inn residents sleep late on Sunday mornings so there was minimal chance of running into anybody.

_Ten minutes! _Meia screamed in her head. _For once… okay, many times… I'm glad that all that running is doing some good. _Despite the thin air in the mountains, Meia found no trouble running. Her problem was the snowy paths. Not only do they hinder her speed, they left behind her footprints.

"Blizzard!" She casted the spell on the floor as she ran, willing the newly-formed snow to cover her tracks. Now, it looked more like animal tracks rather than a human's.

Nevertheless, running and spell-casting simultaneously in the mountains almost took a toll on her. Meia barely made it as she climbed the short hill that led straight to the back door of Mrs. Glasko's house. Panting heavily, Meia knocked on the door lightly. The door quickly opened and Leia's mother ushered her into the house.

"Would you like some tea to make yourself warm?" The elderly lady asked.

"Huff… It's… huff… fine…" Meia wheezed. "I… I… I need to… huff…" She stopped when Mrs. Glasko only shooed her up the stairs. Nodding, she climbed the staircase when a loud explosion in the distance shook the house… and probably the whole town as well.

Mrs. Glasko jumped and stared at Meia. "Was that…?"

Meia nodded, now her breath returning to normal. _That is one nasty bomb. _She thought. _Brother Legend really creates the scariest bombs. _Even though the Turks were not involved in the actual execution, Legend played a part under the Weapons Department (led by Scarlet), since he was well-known to produce bombs that would make any dictator proud.

Outside, she could hear the frantic voices of the townspeople. "I'll be sleeping if anyone looks for me." She breathed heavily. _The thin air over here is enough to kill if one is not careful enough. _Meia realised.

In her room, she quickly changed into her pajamas and laid in bed. When her PHS rang, she quickly picked up. "Meia, speaking."

"Missile launch successful." The voice reported.

"I'm sure it was." Meia smiled. "You woke half of Icicle up. Thank you for your efforts."

She was sure the blast of static that followed was because the man was laughing. "This is the first time a Turk said 'thank you'."

"We're not as bad as you think." Meia replied, smiling. Downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring. _Could be one of the townspeople. _She thought. "Thank you, sir. Hope to work with you again." Meia quickly ended the call and threw her PHS aside. Then she pretended to look sleepy as the door of her bedroom threw open, revealing Heidi. "Good morning, Heidi." Meia yawned. "Don't you know it's rude to barge into rooms like that?" She rubbed her eyes.

Heidi grinned. "Today's an exception." She grabbed Meia's blanket and tossed it aside. "Get dressed! There apparently was an explosion just minutes ago."

"Really?" Meia tried to sound shocked.

"Uh huh, you didn't hear it?" Heidi clicked her tongue when Meia shook her head, dazed. "I can't believe you just slept through an earth-shaking explosion! Anyway, they said that it came from Modeoheim. Papa and the others are going over to take a look so I thought maybe you wanna come?"

_Huh. _Meia was pleasantly surprised. _It's working better than I expected. Saves me the trouble to make a private visit later. _She nodded. "Alright, I'll go with you. Just let me get changed, alright?"

* * *

><p>12 April 0003, 1720 hours<p>

The setting sun beat its last rays on Rocket Town. From the distance, Jasper saw a man sitting by the mechanic's workshop. His goggles were tossed aside and laid on the floor, they probably won't be worn for the next few days. The man was puffing a cigarette and exhaling it in a quick breath. Beside him was a young lady. She wore glasses and tied her messy hair into a bun. Her lab coat was blackened and dirtied with efforts that have now gone to waste.

"I'm sorry, Cid!" She sobbed. "I'm so so sorry!"

"Leave me alone." The pilot that was Cid Highwind replied.

"I can't walk away! Not after seeing that I was the reason why you cannot go to space!"

"%*$^, Shera!" Cid growled. "I want to be alone!"

Shera bit her lip and bowing slightly, she ran off, crying.

Jasper watched the lone figure sitting by the bench, lighting another cigarette and blowing it out in a slow manner. _Cid really looks disappointed. _Jasper thought. _How could so many things happen so quickly in just two days? First was the rehearsal, where I caught some thugs manhandling Cid's Tiny Bronco. Though I managed to thwart the underlings, today…_

The nunchaku-user thought back on the events that happened after he managed to stop the suspicious people from stealing the Tiny Bronco. After giving a tour around his rocket, Cid found out that someone stole an oxygen tank from the rocket (_How could we miss that out? _Jasper thought.) and they faced a possibility that the launch will be delayed. Cid shocked everyone in the meeting room when he told them to go ahead with the launch. He'd rather be sent to space at the expense of his own life. Supported by President Shinra's desires to regain the people's trust in Shinra again, the management decided that the launch will continue as planned. Jasper tried to talk Cid and the executives out of it but the decision was final.

_However, the launch didn't happen. _Jasper thought.

Right before the launch, Cid discovered that one of his mechanics, Shera, was still in the engine room, fixing an oxygen tank. Jasper honestly thought that Cid will proceed with the launch, since Shera has expressed her wish that she didn't mind being burnt alive in the engine room if it meant that Cid could explore space.

Jasper stared at Cid's brooding figure. He felt sorry that the pilot's lifelong dream has been destroyed, but he held him in higher regard. It takes more courage to give up a dream for the sake of someone else than at your own expense.

_He surely does look like he wants to be alone. _Jasper frowned. _But I'm going to give it a shot anyway._

Jasper walked towards the lone man. "Hey, Mr. Cid." He greeted softly.

"Can't you $%^&*$ people understand that I just #$*& want to be alone?" The pilot's language was coarse and vulgar, but Jasper noted the deep regret in his voice.

Jasper lifted a tumbler. "I heard that you like tea." He said. "I happened to bring some today. Would you like to drink some?"

The pilot glanced at the silver tumbler briefly, then he gave a short nod. Jasper poured out the tea into two cups, while refusing the cigarette from Cid. Cid took the cup silently and drank deeply. "Ah…" Cid sighed softly, a very uncharacteristic sight now that Jasper knew how colourful and crass his language can be. "This is good stuff." Cid commented. "Not that a crude person like me knows how to appreciate this."

"It's Bone Village's finest." Jasper replied. "Earl Fray Tea."

Cid said nothing, choosing to sip the tea and look into the setting sun over the grassy horizon. The silhouette of the rocket, now leaning uselessly on its metal support, was a stark contrast against the orange sky.

"… Cid, sir?" Jasper spoke again. "Thank you for everything here. Flying the Tiny Bronco was something that I never thought possible." Jasper said. "I won't forget the experience." When Cid didn't reply, Jasper decided to be frank with his intention. "… I… I think you did the right thing today."

"…"

"I'm glad you didn't sacrifice your mechanic for your space dream." Jasper pressed on. "I wouldn't think it will be as noble of you if you had gone ahead with the launch." He gripped the cup with his hands, wondering how much of an idiot he sounded, giving advice and comfort to a man almost twice his age as if he knew better.

"…" Cid removed the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it once or twice.

_No point talking to him further, I guess. _Jasper stood up and turned to the pilot. "I'll be going, sir. It has been an honour to meet you."

Cid's words stopped Jasper before he could leave. "I care about my Space program more than anything on this Planet. Even my life, Turk." Jasper turned and listened to what the pilot had to say. "But Shera is a #$%^ human. I won't let my success be based on someone's misfortune. I still won't forgive her for what happened today. I never will."

"… I understand." Jasper gave a sad smile. He stood up and made a deep, respectful bow to the pilot, signalling that he was going to leave.

"But…" Cid's voice made Jasper stop and look at him. Cid gritted his teeth against the cancerstick. "If the same thing happened again, I wouldn't change my decision." He flicked the cigarette butt on the floor. "Maybe you bring that home and think about it, boy."

Taken aback by the sudden philosophy, Jasper numbly nodded and walked away. The helicopter was waiting for him to return to Midgar. It will be a long while before he understands the meaning behind Cid Highwind's words.

* * *

><p>The exact location of the Turks' office in the Shinra Building was an enigma to many Shinra staff. In the first place, the existence of Turks was not widely publicised. There were rumours that the offices were located in the basements. Some said that they work away from the headquarters, leaving their hideout only when activated. The latter rumour was later debunked because of the high frequency of Turks walking around the headquarters. There were many stories and hypotheses on where the Turks are, but no one expected that the Turks were closer to them than they thought. All staff were told that Floors 52-58 (exception of 55, because that leads to the helipad) were for storage. No one realized that the Turks <em>lived<em> in the Shinra headquarters, but that's another story.

In Floor 57, the main Turks' office was serene, a rare sight to behold. Everyone worked at a leisurely pace, joking and gossiping with one another about their latest missions. The Turks were relaxed, except for one person.

"Tseng, can you don't be such a worrywart?" Reno leaned against his senior's desk, yawning. "I swear, when you brought back that TV screen," Reno said, pointing at the television screen sitting on Tseng's immaculately clean desk. "You've moved 'paranoid' to a new level." He lifted his hand up to help illustrate his words better.

The Wutaian frowned at Reno's insolence. "First of all, this is a multi-output screen. It records the interior of many security cameras under Shinra, mainly in Mako Reactors, and shows them simultaneously. Secondly, I don't have a good feeling about this. Since the explosion in Wutai, we have not heard anything from AVALANCHE."

Reno rolled his eyes. "I hate to be Captain Obvious, but we don't hear anything from AVALANCHE because they are all dead in the explosion!" He raised a hand at Tseng in frustration. "Big disappointment," He said, wagging his finger at Tseng cheekily. "I was expecting more intelligence from you."

Tseng glared at him. "No," He insisted. "AVALANCHE seemed to be taken down too easily. I feel there may be more to this."

"No, no, no, no…" Reno said, wagging his finger again. "I say you're getting too high-strung for your own good." He grinned. "You should take a break, yo? Get away from Shinra, meet some girls… Ah, isn't Alana's sister, Elena, thirteen now? Maybe you can-" Reno chuckled devilishly as he dodged a knife from Tseng's direction. "Alright! Alright… I know you're good with knives as well…" Reno raised both his hands in surrender. "I was just-" Reno stopped when he noticed Tseng was staring at the screen, his face full of surprise.

"What!" Tseng exclaimed. "What… what is this…"

Looking at Tseng's expression, Reno immediately sobered up and walked towards Tseng. "What's wrong, Tseng?"

Tseng pointed at the TV screen. "Take a look."

Reno's eyes adjusted to the 16 mini screens on the big TV screen and frowned. "What's wrong with – whoa!" He exclaimed as he saw one particular screen. The camera showed that there were many people inside the Mako Reactor… not just regular workers, but AVALANCHE operatives.

"That's the inside of the reactor under construction at Corel." Said Tseng grimly.

"AVALANCHE's all over the place!" Reno grabbed the screen and stared at the video.

"It's completely occupied."

Releasing his grip from the screen, Reno turned to Tseng with a frown. "I thought we destroyed their stronghold."

"But not the leadership itself, apparently."

"This can't stand." Reno ran from Tseng's desk. "We're going to Corel!" He declared loudly for everyone in the office level to hear.

* * *

><p>More to be found on my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com<p>

Thank you for reading, for the reviews, alerts and faves!


	50. Corel

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 50 – Corel**

It turned out that the Turks hadn't destroyed AVALANCHE after all. They'd lain low, quietly reorganizing their ranks. Now they occupied the Corel reactor, which was still under construction. It is here that fierce conflict between AVALANCHE and the Turks would resume anew…

* * *

><p>8th May 0003<p>

The Corel Reactor loomed sinisterly even in the warm morning rays. Inside, a young lady with short brown hair sat by the side, watching the people around her move in an almost synchronised manner. Her eyes were soft and gentle, but behind them burned a steel resolve. A resolve to take down Shinra once and for all.

"Miss Elfe," An operative ran up to her and saluted. "Everyone is waiting for your orders!"

The girl slowly stood up and scanned across the room calmly. With a clear voice, she spoke. "We've occupied this reactor. We can't let any more of these things get built. We can't allow Shinra to continue to perpetuate its violence." She raised a clenched fist. "By standing together like this, we will reveal Shinra's vile deeds to the world! We'll bloody their noses economically and physically!"

The men below roared with passion. Elfe gave a slow nod to show her affirmation to their responses, while a thin, bespectacled man that one recognised as tactician Fuhito spoke. "The Shinra will likely attack soon. Everybody, oppose them to your very last breath."

Shears, their second-in-command, jumped in and raised his fist at the men below. "Remember once more the sacrifices your comrades have made! On their honour, we'll smash the Shinra!"

"Down with the Shinra!" Elfe roared. The people echoed after her. Many hoped that this is the last showdown with the electric company, and all hoped that AVALANCHE will emerge from the coal-filled town victorious.

Meanwhile, four foreigners entered the Corel town. The muddy floors were dried and cracking, but the citizens didn't seem to mind. They did, however, shun in fear upon seeing four men in Turk uniforms run into their town. Quickly, all of them ran back into their houses and shut their windows.

Not seeming to mind their actions, Tseng faced the three other Turks with him. "We'll split up from here. Let's go over the mission one more time. We're going to recapture the reactor." He paused to point at the tall facility in the distance ahead. "We'll be coming at them from all four sides. If we lose Corel, the company's livelihood will suffer." Tseng punctuated his orders by pointing at them, starting with Reno. "Be discreet." He pointed at Rude. "Be quick." He pointed at Haato. "And succeed at all costs."

"Yes, sir." Haato smirked, patting his beloved katana.

Reno grinned at the sight of the villager's fear for them. "I'll see you guys inside the reactor." He drawled.

"Don't mess this up." Rude frowned at Reno.

Haato raised a lazy eyebrow at Tseng. "Well? Let's get a move on!"

They nodded and ran in separate directions. Haato grinned. It had been a long time since he was entrusted with such a big mission. He has never been in direct contact with AVALANCHE and the thought of a possible combat with one of those special units (he remembered KK called them Ravens) made his blood boil with excitement.

He reached the Corel mines. _Now to follow the path and it'll lead me straight to the Reactor. _

Haato ran and soon a big burly man came into view. He had dark skin and hair styled in a hi-top fade. What surprised Haato was his arm, where a gun was attached instead of an arm.

_He looks like a worthy opponent. _Haato mused. _Though he doesn't give me the feeling that he's from AVALANCHE._

Haato ran towards the man, intending to run past him… Only to find that the man wanted to give him space too but they ended up meeting. After a few failed attempts and allowing the other to pass by, the man chuckled. "Whoa, sorry about that. Heh, it looks like you and me will get along just fine."

"No offence, but I don't have such tendencies." Was exactly what Haato would've said if he wasn't in such a hurry to reach the Reactor as soon as possible. Instead, Haato nodded. "Yeah. I was in a rush. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

Despite the threatening-looking gunarm, Haato thought the man looked like a nice guy. "Are you by any chance one of the townspeople? I just have to keep going straight this way to get to the Mako reactor, right?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. But you can't get near the reactor today. Looks like they're doing some final construction work 'round there."

_Final construction?_

Haato frowned. "That doesn't sound right. You've been fooled." Haato stopped himself, but it was too late. _I could've gotten him out of trouble… _"Um… so…" Haato added lamely.

The man widened his eyes. "What did you say? They're trying to _stop_ the construction?" He roared. Haato nodded his agreement. "Damn it, they're not getting away with this!"

Haato immediately replied, "I've come to deal with the problem." _So just get out of here before it's too dangerous!_

"Thanks." The man grinned widely. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I'll do it in a heartbeat!"

_I don't need your- Wait a minute… _Haato's smile widened as he asked, "I want to get to the reactor without being noticed. Is there a way I can do that?"

The man with the gunarm slapped his chest. "I'll show you the way."

"Thanks. I'm Haato. Good to meet you." Haato gave a short nod.

"The name's Barret." The man replied. "All right. It's this way." With more confidence now, Haato follow the Corel native deeper into the coal mines.

* * *

><p>Thanks to Barret's strong sense of direction and quick-witted solutions, they were able to outwit many AVALANCHE operatives and they've managed to reach the Mako Reactor when a large boulder fell on Haato. Barret hastily pushed the katana-Turk aside and supported the big boulder with his hands. Haato remembered the Corel native shouting at him to leave him, because rescuing the Corel Reactor from the hands of the intruders was more important.<p>

With not too much effort, Haato broke through the strong defence right outside the Mako Reactor. However, inside the Mako Reactor, the place was empty. _What's going on? _Haato frowned. He looked around, tense._ It looks like nobody's inside. And there was all that security outside, too… _

Though the place looked empty, Haato walked cautiously around. The Turks were trained to be cautious and prepared for 'all situations'. However, when Haato saw the lone figure standing in the centre, he was stunned. Haato stared at the blond in front of him. "You're -!" The man turned slowly to face him, his face looking as cold as marble. The man only recognised Haato by his uniform, but there is nobody in Shinra who does not recognise-

"Rufus…" Haato trailed off when he saw for himself that the Shinra spy in AVALANCHE was indeed Rufus Shinra, Vice-President and son of the President of Shinra. _The Vice-President has been funding AVALANCHE? And he was the one responsible for their infiltration into HQ years back?_

Rufus snorted. "So you got through all those bully boys outside, did you? I should expect no less from the Turks. You've all caused me enough problems, after all."

"What are you doing here?" Haato shouted at him, not caring about formalities at all.

Rufus sighed. "AVALANCHE has gone too far, that's why." He gestured his presence.

From behind, Haato spotted Tseng running towards them. He stopped abruptly and said, "Rufus…?"

Soon, Reno and Rude reached as well, showing the same amount of surprise at the presence of Rufus Shinra in the AVALANCHE base.

Tseng frowned and stepped towards Rufus. "Sir… what's going on?"

A voice rang out in the dark depths of the Reactor. "Everybody! Capture the Vice President!"

"Veld!" Tseng cried out as the head of the Turks emerged from behind Haato. Haato nodded at him.

"What are you doing here?" Rude asked.

Reno scratched his head, frowning. "Why is he here?" He mumbled.

Veld stared at Rufus Shinra, unfazed by the young man's position and power. "Vice President Rufus has been controlling AVALANCHE."

Haato shook his head. "I can't believe it!"

"But…" Rude looked back at Rufus.

"That does explain things." Reno smirked in a know-it-all fashion.

Tseng nodded with Reno. "Like how (classified) information was leaking out." He observed.

"These are orders directly from the President." Veld declared. "Capture Vice President Rufus bring him back to headquarters, where he will be confined."

_House arrest? _Haato thought. _Shinra sure knows how to control the people they don't want to kill._

"Hmph." Said Rufus airily. "Veld, have you forgotten the current situation here?"

Haato's sharp ears picked up the sound of a sinister laugh. _It's coming from… Up? _Haato glanced up and saw a man standing by the railing on the second level. Haato recognised the man's thin frame and gentle look from the pictures in the Turks' database. _Fuhito… _Haato frowned.

"That is correct. We are occupying this reactor." The tactician of AVALANCHE said with a smirk.

"Hmph." Rufus stared at Veld levelly. "It looks like the tables have turned." Looking up, Rufus said with a cold voice, "Fuhito, kill them."

Tseng glanced at his surroundings at the sinister aura from above them. One false move and these over-passionate operatives will attack them from the top. "We're completely surrounded." He observed calmly.

"When did they…" Rude tugged his combat gloves and frowned.

Reno sighed and switched on his EMR gracefully. "We're in the frying pan like this, boys." He smirked with excitement at a coming battle.

* * *

><p><em>The weather in Icicle Inn is perfect for skiing.<em> Meia thought. Then again, in Icicle Inn, everyday is a good weather for skiing. Skiing and snowboarding are two popular activities in the town. Everyone, from young to old, knows how to do either.

After her mission in Modeoheim was complete, Meia audaciously asked for Veld's permission to extend her outfield mission for five months – more because she wanted to stay in Icicle Inn. To her surprise, Veld felt that they could do without her for the next three months. There have been more than enough Turks handling assignments since AVALANCHE was destroyed in the Wutai bombing incident just months ago. To Heidi and Randy's delight, Meia announced that she'll extend her stay till June. Though Veld didn't give her a deadline to return, Meia planned to return mid-summer anyway. It was common understanding, however, that she'll return immediately should it be necessary.

"Meia!" Randy grinned and walked towards her. Meia was still impressed at how they could walk on the thick snow gracefully. She ambled on the soft snow like an imbalanced bear. "Can't believe you won me, I still can't believe." He stretched out his hand and Meia shook it firmly. "No beginner won me in a skiing competition before." He shook his head. "You're the first, I'm going to miss the competition when you go."

"Well, I did start learning how to ski and snowboard since August last year." Meia grinned. That, and also the fact that she was an extremely fast learner, not that Randy needed to know. "I'm not leaving till next month, stop making my impending departure seem so near!" She smiled at her friend. His perfect tan, thanks to Costa del Sol, was lightening now that he's back in Icicle. "I can't believe I'm here for almost a year." She sighed.

Randy laughed. "I know, right? That is some company of yours, to let you go for a whole year." When Meia fell silent, he glanced at her suspiciously. "Meia…" He began.

Meia shook her head. "I'm sorry."

The boy stared at her before breaking into a dry laugh. "No, I should be sorry." He said sheepishly. "You've already told Heidi and I that you do not wish to disclose anything about yourself with regards to Midgar, but I'm curious nevertheless." He smiled. "Seeing you behave in such a secretive manner makes me feel like you're from Shinra. Like, the Turks or something."

Meia stiffened at his words, but quickly forced herself to relax with a laugh. "Gosh, Randy!" She giggled. "You have the most imaginative mind, I swear!"

They laughed together and, gathering their skiing materials, walked towards Meia's house. "I bet you Heidi will gloat over the fact that you won me." Randy grumbled.

Meia smiled. Thanks to her direct confrontation to the both of them, Randy and Heidi finally realised their feelings for each other and started dating since. Heidi's subtle hostility disappeared since then, though it probably already disappeared when Meia confided in her about Reno (using a pseudonym). Meia felt sorry that she couldn't be honest with her background, so she told Heidi and Randy about her red-headed colleague instead. "You two are really lucky to have each other." Meia sighed happily. "Childhood friends turned lovers."

Randy turned and faced her. "Meia, you don't need a childhood friend to find your happiness." He said. "From what I hear about your colleague, Sinclair, he is fond of you."

"… You really think so?" Meia glanced at him hopefully.

"Well, if I were Sinclair, I'll be sure not to let such a good girl like you go." Randy's smile was warmer than the wintry sun above him. "He will be lucky to have you with him."

Meia shook her head to herself. Randy and Heidi knew barely half of what Reno and herself really went through. There were many times Meia found herself agreeing with Reno. A workplace romance will not be good because of the additional emotional attachment that can affect the job. Still, Meia appreciated the good, pure intention behind the Icicle-native's words. "Thank you, Randy." She smiled back.

When they reached her house, they waved goodbye and Meia entered the house to find Mrs. Glasko in the kitchen. With a cheerful smile, Meia ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and closed her room door behind her. _Now to quickly change into warmer clothes and help with dinner… _Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw her PHS blinking, signalling her that there was a new message while she was away. Picking it up and flipping it open, Meia thought her heart stopped beating when she saw the sender's name.

_Brother Reno…_

Meia opened the mail and not understanding why her heart was tense with anxiety and anticipation, Meia read the mail. She could even imagine his tone and facial expression, as if he was next to her telling her the words in his aloof, devil-may-care tone.

"Hey, little Meia. How have you been? Sorry for not talking to you for a long time, work's been busy and you know that whole Nibelheim thing is really nutcase. Then again, it's not like we were talking, huh? I just thought I'll mail you (Tseng suggested it) and let you know what's been happening, yo."

"Brother Tseng?" Meia raised an eyebrow. She didn't think that Tseng would involve himself in such frivolous affairs.

Reno's message continued, "Turns out that we didn't blast AVALANCHE into tiny snowballs. They are now swarming in Corel's Mako Reactor. Rude, Tseng, Haato and I are heading there as I speak… or type. Damn those sneaky fellas, I swear this time I'll make them be gone and gone for good.

"Well anyway, I just thought that it's about time that I say something to you, even if it's just an update. Well then, come back to HQ soon."

Meia read the message again and again. "Come back to HQ soon." She murmured. Was it because they needed her for assignments? Was it an informal order from Tseng (in which Reno was the messenger) telling Meia not to play too long and remember her duty as a Turk? Was it because Reno wanted to see her? "If anything, I only want Brother Reno and I to be on talking terms again." She murmured. "I want to see him…" She said softly, a soft blush creeping onto her cheeks. She smiled. At least Reno was not being awkward in his message.

_On a serious note, I can't believe it. _She sat on the bed with a plop. _AVALANCHE is still alive._

When Tseng told her that the mission to bomb AVALANCHE's base in Wutai was a success, Meia felt a small sense of loss. Not that she didn't want Shinra to eliminate AVALANCHE as soon as possible, it was just that Meia hoped for an opportunity to ask Fuhito about her father and clear up any ambiguity between his and Veld's explanation on her father's demise.

_Now even Fuhito is gone…_ Meia frowned. _My last lead is no longer alive._

"GAHHH!" She groaned. "I'd rather read Joseph Etsky's journals."

In the three years that passed since she first discovered her background as the daughter of a Turk, Meia slowly but detailedly analysed her father's 15-year-long journals. Surprisingly, she did not feel the distance between her father and herself when she read them. Joseph Etsky wrote his journals as if preparing that perhaps someday, his child will read them like a storybook.

Meia grabbed the journal that dated mid-1977, the period in time when Vincent Valentine disappeared. Joseph Etsky spent a whole year trying to locate his whereabouts. As much as she wanted to, Meia purposefully skipped that volume because it was one of the more information-sensitive parts of his journals, which could put Meia at a disadvantage for knowing too much of Shinra's activity. Meia decided years ago that she would read the 1977 journals at a later date, when she was hopefully more mature to handle whatever the journal stored.

5 July 1977

I can never get used to the wintry climate in Nibelheim. If not for the fact that I'm trying to look for Mr. Vincent Valentine, this will definitely be the last time I'm here. There were many things that befuddled me greatly. The Turks Archives only records completed missions. His last completed mission was four months ago which only meant that something must've happened to him in his new assignment.

You can only imagine how big an effort I've made for me to conclude today that Vincent Valentine was last seen in Nibelheim. I'm hoping that Boss (an affectionate term I give my superior, Veld) would let me have access to the Shinra Mansion, and I should be getting his reply soon over PHS. I heard Professor Hojo is working on his research. I'm sure as long as I don't disturb him, it should be fine?

Speaking of Hojo, that nutty professor actually has fans? I met this boy right outside the mansion. Spectacled, scrawny and withdrawn, though he looked really fine while he was raving and throwing snowballs at me. Told me that he would not allow me to disturb Hojo's 'marvellous research' in any way! Of course, I taught that brat a lesson, a real painful one. That'lll teach the twerp to mess with a Turk. I suppose he will be bed-ridden for the whole week, that's more than enough time for me to check out the mansion. I heard him mumble about wanting to take revenge. Kids. But at least I heard him mention his own name. So if I see him again, I'll just track him down with the name 'Fuhito'.

Meia froze at the last word.

_Fu… Fuhito?_

* * *

><p>Haato found himself fighting for the very man who betrayed Shinra. <em>So… even if the organisation which Rufus funded turns its back on him, we protect Rufus? <em>He shook his head, cursing to himself why wasn't he more involved with the AVALANCHE's dealings. _Things are getting more complicated._

Tseng, Reno, Rude and himself stood close to the Vice-President and Veld, alert for the smallest change. Haato flicked his katana threateningly with his wrist.

From above, Shears ran towards Fuhito. "Preparations are complete." He reported.

Haato narrowed his eyes at the female striding in from Fuhito's left. "We can blow this place up any time." Elfe, the AVALANCHE leader, said.

Veld gasped. "That voice! Felicia?" He looked up and his eyes met Elfe's. "You were alive? You weren't killed at Kalm?"

_What? _Haato stared at Veld and Elfe. He remembered Tseng mention once about Veld's daughter, whom he lost to a fire in Kalm many years ago. The daughter was thought to be dead. _Apparently not. _He thought in awe.

Haato saw that Elfe's confused face looked blank for a short while, and then she suddenly blurted, "Daddy?" She stared at Veld, recognition filling her face. She was not the only one who looked shocked. Murmurs filled the air but instantly stopped when she suddenly fell onto the floor.

"Elfe!" Shears ran towards her.

"With this, all preparations are in order." Fuhito commented calmly.

"Elfe?" Shears tried to wake her up, but she only groaned weakly.

"It looks as if the return of her memories was the key." Fuhito pushed his glasses against his nose. Elfe struggled to stand up, but failed. Without a second word, Shears ran towards Elfe and picked her up tenderly. Fuhito nodded at Shears and he carried Elfe out. Fuhito now looked down from the second floor again. "Those that would hurt the Planet." He spat, "All of you worthless beings, return to the Planet that you may heal her anew!" He spat.

"Felicia!" Veld cried out in vain. Fuhito leered at the Turks for a minute, and walked away as well.

Haato looked at them. What was AVALANCHE going to do next? "So the Commander's daughter was alive." He said. Veld and Tseng were quiet, while Rude tried to find words to reply appropriately.

Only Reno had the cheek to admit the irony. "She just had to be AVALANCHE's leader." He grinned.

Veld pulled an uncomfortable look that only Tseng can imagine the dilemma he must be facing. "Sir!" Tseng called. "Elfe… Go after Felicia!"

Veld looked at Tseng seriously. "I can't do that."

"Yeah!" Reno piped in, pointing to the second floor. "If you don't hurry, you're going to lose sight of her."

"But…"

"You got to see her again after all this time." Rude added.

"I…" Veld looked at Haato.

The katana-Turk smirked. "You should do what you want, sir."

Veld smiled, for the briefest moment. "I'm a Turk…" He reiterated.

"You've always stood by us. This time we want to return the favour." Tseng assured.

Veld looked at his Turks, and then at the empty railings on the second floor. "… Everybody." He ordered firmly, as if it was the last order he was ever going to give. "Take the Vice President. Get him back to headquarters safely."

Haato nodded with equal respect. _Veld… He knows what the consequences are… Yet he faced them without fear._

"You think you can leave the Turks alive?" Scoffed Rufus. "Impossible. Death is the only way to leave the Turks. You should know that better than anyone else."

"Sir, with all due respect, the Turks know everything you've been up to." Answered Veld calmly. "It's a top secret. Nobody outside of the Turks, not even the executive body, knows about this." Rufus only responded with a huff, so Veld continued. "So this is my final act. The President has asked me to relay this message to you: While you are in confinement, think carefully about what you have done." Rufus scoffed, but Veld pressed on. "And sir, if nothing else, remember this: the President has been willing to overlook your indiscretions up to now. This time is no different." Veld pasued for the slightest moment and looked up again. "There is no parent who does not desire the happiness of their children." He said softly.

He walked away but stopped when Tseng shouted. "Sir!"

Veld turned to face Tseng. "The rest is up to you, Tseng."

"Yes, sir…" Replied Tseng humbly.

"The Turks are in your hands now."

"Yes, sir! Thank you for everything you've done for us up to now. I won't let you down. We'll work this out!" Tseng said confidently.

As Veld left, Rufus glanced at Tseng. "You should all get moving. Fuhito plans to blow this place up."

"Blow it up?" Exclaimed Reno.

"I gave him the detonator." Rufus replied coolly.

Tseng, with a large amount of effort to keep his irritation, said to the Vice-President. "Sir, this way."

* * *

><p>Kido ran along the metal railings towards the exit, worried for his comrade whom he just ran into moments ago. While they were running out to the exit, they heard a shout and when Kido turned around, he saw AVALANCHE's second-in-command, Shears, falling from the top. Haato tried to catch him but Shears' force was too strong. Together, they fell off the metal walkway and into the dark abyss below.<p>

_I have to find Tseng and the rest to get a rescue team._

When Kido walked out of the Reactor alone, Tseng asked immediately, "Kido. Where's Haato?"

Kido paused briefly, then said calmly, "He went down into the Mako Reactor."

"No…" Tseng stared at the Reactor behind Kido, shaking his head.

Rude looked on, but it was Reno who talked. "No, he's definitely alive." He smiled confidently. "After all, he's a Turk."

"I'm going back in to search for Haato." Kido said.

"It is very dangerous inside!" Tseng argued. "We'll get the search team to comb this area. But for now we return to HQ."

"No." Kido insisted, gripping his gun tightly. "We cannot afford to lose any more people. Haato has been a good Turk to us. Let me go back!"

"Kido," Reno said seriously. "We can't have you running back into the Reactor. Neither can we always have you do things your way." He looked at Kido directly. Kido was more senior than him in the number of years he served as a Turk. However, Reno was third-in-command after Tseng. "If you go in now, you may not find Haato."

"Reno's right." Rude gave a short nod.

Reno sighed. "Trust me, Kido. Trust Haato." He slapped the gunman's back. "He'll be fine."

* * *

><p>Woots! Chapter 50! *bursts party poppers*<p>

Thank you for the great reviews this week, they were absolutely lovely!

One of the urban myths is that Reno's last name is Sinclair. There hasn't been any proof so I didn't use it, but used Sinclair as a pseudonym instead.

The next three chapters are more than 5000 words long. You have been warned =)


	51. Reconciliation

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 51 – Reconciliation**

In the lower parts of the Corel Reactor, a Turk named Haato and AVALANCHE's second-in-command, Shears, were weaving in and out of the complicated metal corridors. Haato was on his way out of the Reactor, after Reno, Rude, Tseng and Rufus left, when he met Kido. Just as they were going to reach the entrance, Shears fell from the top, bringing Haato with him. Apparently Haato broke his fall thanks to Shears. Now Shears was injured and truthfully, Haato would've just left him there to die, if not for the fact that Shears possessed the blueprints of the Reactor (provided by Rufus Shinra).

_Just till we get out of this hellhole, _Haato thought. _That we'll work together. A truce, I guess?_

At the intersection, they found themselves surrounded by Ravens. Haato unsheathed his katana and placed the blade at Shears' throat. "Stay back!" Haato warned. "If you come any closer, I'll kill Shears." To his surprise, the Ravens inched closer.

Shears only responded with a cruel laugh. "It's no use."

"What's going on?" Haato demanded.

Shears smirked. "They're trying to kill me too."

Haato released Shears, shocked. "So you were… betrayed by AVALANCHE?"

"That's right. Fuhito shoved me down here."

_So that's why he fell._ Haato realised, but there wasn't much time to think further, the Ravens were slowly closing in. _Then I guess the only thing to do is team up with him and take down the Raven._

Now that Haato turned his katana away from Shears and at the Raven, Shears snorted. "It's not like I'm teaming up with you or anything." Haato narrowed his eyes and glared at Shears. "But now's not the time to be saying stuff like that." Shears muttered. He rolled up his sleeves. "Let's go."

Together, they quickly disposed the Ravens and to their surprise, they grinned at each other. _Wasn't too bad._ Haato thought. His sharp eye caught a shiny object falling onto the ground as the Raven delivered a dying attack on Shears. _He's dropped something. What is it? _Haato squinted and realised that it was a shiny Materia. _A materia? _

"This is an unusual materia." Haato commented casually. "There's a crystal, shaped like a pyramid, inside it."

Shears hastily picked it up. "That's the materia I found." He said, glaring at Haato. "It's none of your business." Haato shrugged and they ran down the corridor again, to meet more Ravens. "Here they come." He grunted.

It was like this for some time. They would run a bit and encounter Ravens at almost every intersection. It wasn't too much of a problem for Haato, since he was virtually uninjured, but for Shears, he seemed to be weaker than what Rod and Meia made him out to be.

During one of the fights, Haato voiced his irritation at the frequent encounters. "The Vice President has betrayed us, Shears and the Ravens have been tossed down here like pawns… what the hell is Elfé thinking?"

"Elfé's being used by Fuhito." Shot back Shears. They conversed no more, focusing instead on defeating the Ravens.

In the following fight, their conversation somehow continued. "So Fuhito's behind all of this?"

Shears stretched his neck in preparation. "His real goal is to destroy life. To return every living thing to the Planet so that it can live but a little longer." Haato nodded and they fought.

Thereafter, in every fight, Haato's curiosity gets the better of him and he'll ask Shears again. "That's just sick. Is that even possible?" He asked, making reference of Fuhito's plans.

"Seems like." Shears shrugged. "If he uses Elfé's materia, that is."

"Elfé's materia?"

"Yeah. There's a materia embedded into the back of her hand." Shears gave him a 'can-we-fight-now?' look and Haato responded by attacking first.

Finally, as the empty corridor loomed ahead, Haato sighed. "It looks like things have quieted down for now." Haato noticed Shears breathing heavily. "Are you all right?" He asked, reaching into his pocket for a potion but Shears lifted a hand up to stop him.

"Hmph. Nothing you need to worry about." Replied Shears arrogantly.

"So tell me." Haato pressed on. "What's this about a materia in the back of Elfé's hand?"

Shears turned back to Haato and replied, "That's the materia I dropped back there. There was one just like it in Elfé's hand."

Haato frowned. "Now that you mention it, there was this glow coming from her hand. And Meia did say that none of her attacks would work on her."

"The little girl Turk?" Shears asked. Haato nodded. "Seriously, what were you all thinking, getting a child to join the Turks?" He grunted when he saw that Haato wasn't going to reply him. "About Elfe's Materia making Elfe invincible? I don't know about that, but Fuhito's planning to use that materia to destroy all life on the Planet."

"But nothing's happened yet." Haato frowned.

"It seems like he can't carry out his plan yet. He's looking for a way to do it."

"We can't let it happen." Haato said firmly.

"No shit." Shears grinned. "Something bad might happen to Elfé if Fuhito succeeds."

Haato remembered how weak she looked when he saw her at the top. "She collapsed back there, didn't she?"

"She's been sluggish up to now. That lethargy isn't normal." Shears paused for a moment. "Fuhito's changed, too."

"Yes." Haato pointed out. "He betrayed you." He deadpanned.

Shears looked at the katana-Turk, ready to argue, but he knew better. "Yeah." He agreed. He started walking towards the next corridor, but stopped suddenly. "The only thing I want to do now is protect Elfé from Fuhito."

Haato smiled to himself. Somehow no matter how he saw it, he felt that Shears saw Elfe more than just a leader. _I want to protect Leia from AVALANCHE too. _He thought. He reached a hand towards Shears. "And to do that we need to get out of here, and fast. Here, take my shoulder." Shears looked at him suspiciously. "I want to save Elfé, too. She's Veld's daughter. Besides, things could get ugly if we just leave Fuhito to his own devices." Still, Shears looked reluctant, but eventually he held onto Haato's shoulder. "I've heard of something before," Haato commented coolly. "About materia you can link together to achieve some effect."

It was breaking news in the Science Department, when a professor by the name of Timothy who discovered that with proper weapons (those that have linked Materia slots), one can cast multi-Materia spells. One of his demonstrations was using a linked Fire Materia with his newly researched 'All' Materia to create fire spells that damage many monsters at the same time. He remembered because Meia excitedly pulled him to accompany her to the demonstration.

Shears broke Haato's train of thought. "Then this might come in handy some day." He grinned, tossing the Materia up and down in his hand.

"Yeah." Haato murmured. "Now let's go."

* * *

><p>Haato hated to admit this, but he and Shears made a good team. <em>Perhaps if this guy had been a Turk…<em> Haato thought. _But these are all wistful thinkings._

Their last battle had taken a toll on Shears. Leaning heavily on Haato now, they struggled along the metal corridors. Haato's feet trembled with each tremor, but his face did not frown the slightest bit.

Shears looked around him. "The passages have crumbled too. There's no time left. The exit's just over there." He started to push himself away from Haato. "Forget about me."

"We're almost there." Haato insisted. "We're going to make it." _Strange. _Haato realised. _I wouldn't have thought yesterday that I would rely on my enemy to survive._

"No we're not." Shears growled. "If you stay with me, we're both going to lose the chance to get out of here."

Haato grabbed Shears by his collar. "You're going to save Elfé, aren't you?"

"Look at me." Shears argued back. "The odds that I'll be able to get out of here are slim. Stop Fuhito." Shears grabbed Haato's blazer as well. "Save Elfé." He asked sincerely.

Haato looked at Shears, his exhausted, fatigue-overwhelmed body. Still, Haato gritted his teeth. "No."

"What?"

"There is no mission that's impossible for the Turks!" Haato roared. He shoved Shears onto his feet. "Run with everything you've got!" With that, he pulled Shears in the direction of the exit. As if the pulling implanted strength into AVALANCHE's field commander, Shears found enough strength… and they ran.

They panted and sprinted along the metal bridge, expertly avoiding falling metal debris. Around them was the deep, dark abyss, there were points where Haato had to give Shears a heads-up. Behind them, the floor was falling apart and now tearing towards them. To see the corridor disappearing and it racing up towards you was enough for both men to run again, because their lives depended on it.

"You'll be all right!" Haato yelled to Shears as they reached a corner. "The exit's just there." They started running again until Haato looked up and before Shears could react, the Turk pushed him away. Shears fell onto the floor, but turned back to see Haato being hit by a large metal piece.

"A direct hit? Oi, you okay?" Shears reached out a hand.

Haato groaned in agony. _Must… persevere… _He commanded his body to move. For some reason, they felt heavy, like lead. _I need to leave this place… With Shears… To save Elfe… To see Leia again… _Haato roared and pushed himself onto his feet. "I'm fine…" He replied weakly. "Let's hurry."

They began running again. Haato's heart lifted when he saw the light at the end on the bridge. _The exit! _Suddenly, the floor shook and part of the floor separating them from the exit disappeared. "The floor?" Haato swore loudly.

"So this is it." Shears fell back and sighed. "And we're so close to the door!" He gritted his teeth. _There is no time. _Shears thought. With the remaining strength he could muster, he thought to himself. _Gaia, give me strength. _He shouted. "Haato! Don't give up!" Before Haato could respond, Shears grabbed the Turk and threw him across the gap. Haato flew across the gap silently, Shears could've sworn that Haato would even react, but the Turk was flung over easily. Haato landed out of the exit… Shears could no longer see the Turk. "Take care of Elfé…" He murmured. The floor began to fall apart, and Shears jumped back to avoid falling off. "I'll do anything to save her." He smirked as he thought of the brief but meaningful time spent with Haato the Turk. He hate to admit it, but they make a good team. "Maybe I should have been a Turk…"

Then, the field leader and second-in-command of AVALANCHE stopped escaping and fell, allowing the darkness to envelop him.

* * *

><p>Reno jumped when he saw a body being flung out of the Mako Reactor. <em>What the hell?<em> He thought but he stared when he saw that it was Haato.

"Oi! Haato!" Reno nudged the Turk's body with his foot. "Sure took a damn long time- Oi, you…?"

He turned to Rude, who was running towards them. "He doesn't look right." Rude observed.

Reno bent down and checked Haato's pulse. "He's unconscious." He declared. "I'm going to get the chopper ready. We're going back to Midgar."

* * *

><p>Outside President Shinra's office, Tseng drew the deepest breath that he'd taken in a long time. It wasn't often that Tseng felt apprehensive about meeting a superior, Tseng possessed enough calmness and wisdom to remain tactful in the presence of highly-ranked executives. However, the situation was different this time. Tseng had to report to President Shinra. Previously, he only needed to account to Veld. <em>But now that Veld… <em>Tseng shook the thought out of his head. He cannot let the President know that Veld's escape was _supported _by his subordinates. _I can't let the other Turks fall with me. _Tseng furrowed his brow.

With a firm hand, Tseng knocked on the door. When he heard someone grunt inside, he opened the door and walked in. The President's Office was decorated in a sleek and modern manner, something that appealed to Tseng's tastes better. President Shinra stood by his full-length window, watching the city he shaped bustle below. He only inclined his head the slightest, but that was the cue for Tseng to speak.

"Sir. I've just returned from Corel."

President Shinra released a huff. "You've done well with Rufus. How is he?"

Tseng thought about the President's son, who betrayed the company by being in cahoots with the enemy of his company, AVALANCHE. "We're holding him in the hidden room in the Turks' offices." _With Mason standing watch. _He added silently to himself. The exact location of the Turks' offices was an enigma to the company themselves, so keeping Rufus there was the perfect idea.

"Have you taken care of all the equipment in that room?" Was the odd question that the President asked, but Tseng knew exactly what he meant.

He nodded. "There's nothing to worry about, sir. We've remodeled the room especially for the Vice President."

"Good." President Shinra paused and watched the city out of the window. Tseng wisely kept quiet, for he knew that even the President needed some time to digest the fact that his son betrayed him. President Shinra spoke again, this time not making eye contact with Tseng. "The only people who know about Rufus's connections with AVALANCHE and his current confinement are myself and the Turks. Not even the executives shall know about this."

"Yes, sir."

"He's impetuous, that boy." Shinra murmured. "He was going to inherit my place someday anyway…" Again, Tseng kept quiet, doubting that the words the President said were meant for his ears. Finally, Shinra grunted for Tseng's attention, which wasn't necessary in the first place. "Keep a round the clock watch on him. Make sure he doesn't pull any more stupid stunts." President Shinra instructed seriously.

"Yes, sir." Tseng inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Do you have anything else to report?"

"A casualty." Tseng answered, thinking of the almost-lifeless body in the infirmary. "Haato's gone unconscious. He won't wake up." Tseng furrowed his brow when the President made no reply. "It looks as if he's taken a powerful blow. When he fell into the depths of the reactor, he was exposed long term to trace amounts of Mako." Tseng reported. "… What will happen to him as a result of his accident depends on his hardiness. At any rate, we can't guess what will happen."

President Shinra nodded. "Link up with the Turks secondary division."

"?" Tseng frowned. "The secondary division?" He had never heard anything of the sort. He'll need to check with Meia. Perhaps she has read it somewhere in the Turk records.

"There are no other options." President Shinra insisted. "Unless you can find other replacements, they'll have to fill in the gap."

Tseng nodded and hoped that the President would not ask more questions regarding this issue that he's uncertain about. Tseng hated to feel unprepared. "Yes, sir."

"Is there anything else?" President Shinra asked. This time, Tseng picked up the tone in his voice. A dangerous, I-know-you-have-something-to-hide tone. Tseng fell silent and shook his head. When Shinra saw that the Wutaian did not reply, he took the initiative instead. "I've had a report from Rufus." The president said slowly, watching Tseng's face as he spoke. "Veld has disappeared."

When Tseng spoke, he was surprised at how nervous he sounded. "Y-Yes he has…" He stammered. He was also surprised to hear himself inwardly wish that President Shinra did not continue asking for details.

Luckily, the president didn't. Shinra merely walked towards Tseng from the window that he was standing by. He peered at Tseng closely, allowing Tseng to see how blotchy his skin looked… and Tseng dared not look further for fear of being rude. "From now on, you will be in charge of the Turks." President Shinra declared as if he was in a room of executives. Tseng, on the other hand, did not look excited at all by the news. He knew the consequences of taking up such a responsibility. "Don't forget: The Turks are entrusted with this company's top classified information." He turned to Tseng and added, "The only kind of retirement a Turk is entitled to comes with a body bag."

Tseng steeled his gaze at the President and did not reply. President Shinra pulled a small smile. "Therefore I am giving the Turks new orders. Find Veld! And when you do…" The blond man stared at Tseng. "Kill him!" He said aggressively.

"Yes, sir."

"He knows holds too much of the company's sensitive data in his head."

"Yes, sir."

"Those are your new orders." President Shinra walked back to his desk and picked up his wine glass. "Don't disappoint me." He ended, peering at Tseng over the rim of his round-bottomed glass.

Tseng calmly bowed and walked out, but his calm exterior lasted less than a minute. In the elevator, Tseng slumped against the elevator glass, pondering on the severity of the President's orders. _Kill Veld… _He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

_What should I do?_

* * *

><p>Meia was not scheduled to return to Midgar for another week but when she heard about Haato, she left Icicle Inn early and returned without any Shinra's transportation. There was a traveller who happened to be staying in Icicle Inn a few weeks' ago. She managed to contact him immediately after the news of Haato and (almost too good to be) lucky for her, he was leaving Bone Village the following day, Midgar-bound. In order to reach Bone Village by dawn, Meia needed to leave at night. Randy and Heidi offered to send her to Bone Village via Randy's father's car.<p>

Saying her last and reluctant goodbyes, she boarded the airship and endured 2 hours of flight, worried sick about her dear comrade.

Meia ran through the gates of Sector 8 (Upper Plate), not caring to stop and admire the vibrant city life droning around her. As the Shinra building loomed into view, Meia's mind stopped worrying and marveled how long it has been since she has returned, this time for good.

She strode into the main lobby, giving a short wave to Melissa, the Shinra stafff who offered free potions to SOLDIER. The greetings can wait till tomorrow. As the elevator began its ascent, Meia recalled the message that Tseng sent her the day before.

"AVALANCHE has occupied Corel Reactor. Rufus Shinra was their financial support. Haato lies in coma, in the infirmary. Whereabouts of AVALANCHE unknown."

_Who WOULDN'T return upon seeing such a message? _Meia frowned, twirling her pigtails as she pondered. _Brother Tseng seriously lack detail in this message. Why is AVALANCHE still alive, weren't they destroyed in Wutai? Better yet, has AVALANCHE been completely subdued now?_ _What did the doctor say about Brother Haato?_

When the elevator doors opened at Floor 10, Meia ran out and straight into Tseng. Tseng steadied her before she loses her balance. "Easy, Meia." Tseng frowned. "You always seem to literally run into me."

Despite the worry in her heart, Meia couldn't help but smile at a familiar face. "Brother Tseng! Did you just reach Floor 10?" She greeted in a tone as cheerful as she can muster, but she blinked when she saw Tseng's expression. "… Are you alright?"

Tseng was impressed at how, when Haato's condition was the more severe of the current situation, that Meia noticed his own dilemma. But no, he would not tell her about his conversation between the President and himself. Not yet. "I'm fine." He replied calmly.

"Where's Brother Haato?" Meia asked concernedly. "Am I able to see him?"

Tseng shook his head. "Haato has slipped into unconsciousness. The high levels of Mako were too much for him." He nodded. "You could still see him if you want to. In fact, everyone is inside the infirmary." They looked at the door a short distance ahead.

He turned towards the door but Meia stopped him. "You've been withholding information from me." She said seriously. "Tell me what else happened."

Tseng sighed through his nose (A/N: That sounds really weird…), seeing that the sharp girl will be persistent till she got what she wanted. So he explained to her about the events in Corel, Rufus' treason, the revelation that Elfe was Veld's survived daughter and that Veld has left the Turks to pursue his long-lost daughter.

Meia was silent when Tseng finished. Finally, the connection was made and Meia realised why she thought Elfe felt familiar. The hard look that the AVALANCHE leader had was the same steel determination that she saw in her respected Veld. At last, satisfied with what she's heard, Meia thanked Tseng. "I just thought that it wouldn't be appropriate if I brought these non-relevant issues in the infirmary."

"Meia?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about the Turks secondary division?"

For a moment, Meia frowned… then her face brightened with recognition. "Yeah, I read that!" She said, laughing when she saw Tseng's confused face. "Don't worry, Brother Tseng, it's really nothing. You see, the Turks have a secondary division where they will be activated if the primary one is not available. Brother Veld honestly didn't follow that protocol because we are all running around like busy bees!" Meia beamed. "Still, he has to allocate us into different divisions – Putting all that in pen and paper."

Tseng smiled slightly. Trust Meia to read up on trivial things like this. "Who are in the secondary division?"

"That's easy!" Meia nodded. "Cissnei, Mason, Jasper, Haato, Kido, Leia and myself." She recited perfectly. "Brother Veld arranges the division every year and allocates assignments to us accordingly. That's why some Turks are given more tasks to do than others."

"How do you know about all this?" Tseng stared at Meia, to which she flushed.

"I asked Brother Veld." She answered truthfully. Brother Veld was the only person she confided to that she had read the entire Turks Archives. Not even KK and Leia know that Meia has remembered every detail about the Turks since its first formation. "He gave-"

"It's okay." Blurted Tseng before Meia could say more. "You asked Veld for permission. That's all I need to know." Tseng couldn't explain why he did that either. Something told him that whatever Meia was going to say will put her at a disadvantage in the future and before he could reason, his instinct made him protect her from saying more.

_You are too soft to be a leader, Tseng. _His inner voice chided. _You won't have the same iron grip that Veld had. _Ignoring the voice in his head, Tseng pushed the infirmary door and the both of them walked in.

The infirmary decorum was like how Meia had remembered one year ago, when she sprained her ankle and Jasper insisted that she goes to the infirmary to rest. This time, some things are different. In the corner, a bed was set up. Meia felt her heart wrench when she saw Haato lying on the bed, linked by life support and IV drips.

"Haato…"

Her voice alerted the Turks present. They stared at Meia, but nodded quietly to show their acknowledgement and joy that she has returned, this time for good. Legend gave a small wave and a grin, Meia smiled back, happy to see the Turk whom she felt a brotherly connection for. From the corner of her eye, Meia spotted Reno and Rude, making small conversation.

_Brother Reno… _Meia thought with a stirring flutter in her heart. _It has been almost a year and a half since I saw him… He still looks like how I remembered._

Focusing herself again, she asked Kido. "Did the doctor say how long he might stay… this way?"

The double-guns specialist shook his head. "I'm guessing a few months or so."

"Impossible." Argued Rod. "The Mako poisoning is freaking bad! He'll be lucky if he even wakes up-"

"Rodzen Daisa!" Cassie hissed, horrified that Rod would say a thing like that. "Can you be a little more intelligent and know when to say the right things?" She jerked her head at Leia, who was sitting quietly by Haato's side. Rod muttered something about saying his full name, while Meia smiled when she saw that the martial artist was holding Haato's hand.

"It's fine." Leia said. "It's true anyway." She stared at the unconscious Turk. "He's wasting his time being in this state. We've got tons of work to do and he just cannot lie here and do nothing."

The Turks laughed at Leia's obsession with efficiency. "Oh Leia…" Cissnei shook her head quietly. Meia smiled at Cissnei. It has been too long since she saw Cissnei, because previously she was too upset about Zack to come out of her room. Meia admired Cissnei for being so responsible for, for there were things that she did out of the requirements of the mission.

Cissnei turned to Alana. "I suppose this means that we'll be taking turns checking on him."

Alana nodded. "I'll draw a roster for all of us." From the other side, Legend agreed that it was a good idea.

"That sounds super!" Jasper said excitedly. From behind the nurse's desk, the nurse shushed him loudly. "Opps." He stuck his tongue out. "I just want to help out more, Haato has been a good mentor and I really want to see him well."

"If anything, you'll have to get in queue, boy." Rod nudged him. "Leia will be fighting to tend to Haato first…" He raised his red eyebrows when he saw that Leia didn't even acknowledge his teasing. She was only holding the katana-Turk's hand and looking solemn.

"At long last!" Cassie grinned beside Rod. "It sure took Leia damn long to realize her feelings for Haato." She whispered.

Jasper, hearing their conversation, smiled to himself. The relationship between Haato and Leia has been one of the first things he knew about the Turks. Cassie and Rod put up a very fascinating show during their explanation, much to the amusement of Haato watching by the side.

_Maybe if I wait long enough, Meia will…_

He looked around him. "Where's Meia?" Jasper asked. Rude cocked his head out of the door. Jasper grinned and was about to go when Cassie held him back. "Hey, what are you trying-"

"Don't be an idiot!" Cassie said, knocking his blond head gently. "Can't you see that someone else is missing too?" Jasper looked around him and realized that indeed, someone else was missing. "Let them settle their long-overdue issue and you can see your Meia later." She gave a devilish smile.

Outside the infirmary, Meia glanced at Reno, who stood with his back facing her. She felt that her heart could jump out, when Reno suddenly grabbed her hand and led her out of the infirmary without a word. As his hand made contact with her skin, she blushed, wondering how long it has been since she felt Reno's touch. "Brother Reno…" She said shyly. "Long time no-" Her words were cut off when she felt his presence over her and then, his arms around her. Despite her joy, Meia frowned. "Do you HAVE to interrupt me like this every time?"

"I missed you." Was his quiet reply.

Meia felt embarrassed to even admit inwardly that the feeling was like fireworks exploding into a thousand emotions simultaneously. But it was not the time to describe her feelings. She didn't have time to think about her feelings when she was in the midst of her long-awaited, long-overdue reconciliation. "… Me too, Brother Reno." She said, wrapping her arms around him and finally allowing his scent to welcome her back home.

* * *

><p>"Where do I even begin…" Reno began awkwardly. Throwing their concerns for Haato aside, they were now in the Turk pantry, sitting opposite each other. Reno sent a quick message to Rude and thus they will be undisturbed for an hour or so. "I'm… I'm sorry for whatever I did." He said uncomfortably, but only Meia knew that his intention was genuine.<p>

"Yeah, me too." Meia said shyly.

"But you didn't do anything wrong." Reno frowned.

"I did!" Meia insisted. "I… I shouldn't have been so… annoying and insisted that you like me, when you don't." She said with an embarrassed air.

"Meia." Reno said. "It's not that I don't like you." He scratched his head. "I care you so much." (Meia's heart fluttered at those words.) "But… I admit, okay? I chickened out." He spread his arms in resignation. "I wasn't ready to admit that I like you. And now…" He scratched his head again. "I can't be a hundred percent sure, either." He admitted. "But I'm willing to give it a try." He gazed into Meia's hazel eyes, smiling at the realization that he hasn't seen those bright, enthusiastic eyes and beautiful skin in more than a year. "If you're willing, that is." He ended with a small smile.

A short silence after his confession ensued and Reno honestly thought that he made a very bad move. To his surprise, Meia smiled widely. "Brother Reno…" She said cheerfully. "I'm really glad that you're honest with me."

"No girl would be happy after hearing what I've said, actually."

Meia laughed. "Honestly, I was so caught up my concern to reconcile with you that I was no longer concerned whether you liked me or not!" She gestured animatedly.

Reno stared at her. "You're nuts, little Meia." He shook his head.

"No, I'm not." Replied Meia seriously. "I realized that, above all those romance stuff, I treasure your friendship more."

Reno raised his eyebrows at her. Does that mean that Meia no longer cared for him in that way?

"When I was younger when I found out that Carmelle liked Sunny, it was the most exciting news I've ever heard." She said. Reno nodded, remembering the now-deceased children who were the bulk of Meia's childhood. "She loves Sunny, but she told me that she treasured their friendship so much that she could not bear to ruin it. I didn't understand it then, but now I know. I can bear not to be the one you love romantically, Brother Reno." She looked at Reno in the eyes. "But I cannot imagine myself without you as my friend, Brother Reno." She said. "That's why maybe it's better if we really just forget about everything and restart as friends?"

Reno stared at her. Here he was, trying to ask for her affection and this was her response? "You… You don't like me anymore, do you?" He said with realization. He stood up and pointed at her. "It's that nunchaku guy, Jasper, right?"

Meia stared back at Reno with equal shock… which became peals of laughter. "Oh Reno!" She laughed. Reno never realized it till now how much he loved it when she dropped the salutation and called him by name directly. "You're so silly!" She laughed harder. "Sit down, you're taking this conversation too far!" She said between her laughter.

Narrowing his eyes at the kid who just laughed at him, Reno sat down again. "What is it, then?"

Meia took Reno's hands and in return Reno placed his hands over hers. "I… I like you." She said shyly at the sight of his action. "However, everything is not in a good time now." She explained.

Reno nodded at her explanation. It was logical, seeing that Haato was in coma, AVALANCHE was still at large, and Veld was to be captured on sight. Certainly they didn't have time for romance. "Reasonable answer." He nodded. "Things are going to be pretty busy around here, I suppose."

Meia shook her head. "It's not just that." She grinned cheekily. "Forgive me for being so audacious, but I'm not going to consider your current feelings for me valid."

"WHAT?" Reno released her hands and exclaimed.

"I mean, you said yourself that you're not too sure!" Meia argued with a huff. "It wouldn't be fair to you and me if you jumped into a-a-…" Meia blushed. "A _relationship_ without even sure of your feelings for the girl!"

"What's wrong with confirming your feelings later?" Reno exclaimed, jumping from his chair and making a frustrated face at Meia. "What logic is this?"

"MY logic!" She too, stood up and scrunched her face at him. They stared at each other's funny faces… and burst into laughter again.

When their laughter died down, Meia took a deep breath and said, "You should take this time to think it through. Maybe I should as well." She smiled. "And maybe… when the entire fiasco is over, we can talk about this again or something."

Reno shook his head. "I can't believe this." He sat down with a plop and thought it through. Crazy as it sounded, Meia made sense. "… I guess this means that… nothing is going to happen to us now?"

Meia grinned. "Nothing."

To his surprise, Reno heaved a sigh of relief. "Huh. Look at that." He murmured. "Maybe I really need the time."

Meia walked to Reno and before he could react, hugged him tightly. "I'm glad that we're talking again, Brother Reno."

Reno gave in to his desire and pulled Meia onto his lap. "Welcome back, Meia." He grinned. "I missed putting you on my lap." He grinned. "You used to demand me to do that, like a child asking her father to indulge in her whims."

She made a face. "I don't do that anymore!" She retorted, embarrassed. "Besides, I'm 16! Not 12! And I don't behave like a child anymore!" She argued, though she did not struggle out of his grasp.

"You better not be a child anymore, little Meia." He grinned. "You've gained some weight. Soon I won't be able to do tha-"

"Silence!"

Reno quickly pushed Meia out of the way but it was too late. Her magic worked its way on him, constricting his throat and making him gag. _I would need to find Rude later, if not I can't use my EMR._ Reno frowned at Meia, who was in a laughing fit because she succeeded in disabling his magic skills. _Still a kid. _He thought.

* * *

><p>Long chapter! I have to make it long, you see. :3 Thank you for those lovely reviews! It's awesome knowing that you guys are still keeping up with me. I sincerely hope the story is not boring you at all!<p>

Yes, NOW there'll be a time skip. See you in the next chapter!


	52. Change

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 52 – Change**

At the first spark of awareness, his mind started thinking again, though sluggish like an old machine being cranked back into gear. Haato tried to move his fingers but couldn't. Every part of him felt cramped and tight. As he forced his fingers to move again, he groaned at the resistance and how they cracked when he wriggled them.

He felt a ringing in his ears as he heard the sounds of a gasp, then the voice of Cassie. "Did you see that just now?"

"Yes. It was slight, but he did move." Haato heard Rod speak beside her.

"O-i!" Cassie dragged her vowels, and Haato made a mental note to himself to tell her how annoying that sounded. "Ha-a-a-a-a-toooo!"

"H-Hey!" Rod exclaimed. "Keep it down!"

Cassie ignored him. "Ha-a-tooo!" Haato groaned again, this time to shut Cassie up. "No way…" She stared at the bed. "He really woke up."

Haato forced his eyes to open, but squinted at the brightness of the room. He saw Cassie's mouth wide open and Rod's jaw dropping as well. "I knew it!" Rod grinned. "Told ya that he'll wake up!" The way Cassie rolled her eyes at him told Haato that it was definitely not the case.

"What a way to start my day…" Haato spoke in a dry raspy voice. Cassie hastily poured a glass of water for Haato. Haato's lips made contact with the fresh water, wondering why his body felt so foreign to everything around him. His mouth was so dry that he had to 'introduce' the water into his mouth sip by sip, before his tongue felt used to the sudden moisture.

Haato downed the rest of the water as Rod leaned against the wall beside him. "Good to see you alive!" He smirked.

"Where…"

"You're in the hospital, Floor 10." Cassie answered before he could finish. "You returned from the Corel reactor, but you were badly injured and fell into a coma."

"Badly injured…" Haato frowned. The last he remembered was being lifted up and thrown out of darkness. "Co… ma…?"

"Three years." Rod deadpanned. "You were asleep for freaking three years, Haato."

Haato widened his eyes. _Three years? _He glanced at the calendar, dating 3rd of June, and made calculations in his head. _It's Year 0006 now? What the heck was I doing? _"That long…" His sluggish body could not even coordinate well enough to express his shock. No wonder he felt so disoriented to his surroundings.

"We've been taking turns visiting you, but you weren't waking up." Rod shook his head. "We were seriously worried that you would never come out it." When Cassie nudged him for saying such things, he stared at her. "What?"

Cassie shook her head. "It's a miracle, all right." She took Haato's cup and poured another for him. "You were exposed to low levels of mako radiation, but it doesn't seem to have affected you." She pointed to something on the table. "Or maybe it's this materia that protected you."

As he turned to what she was pointing, he saw a shiny Materia on his katana. _This is Shears' Materia. _Someone must've thought that he wanted the Materia by his side during his coma; they've found an empty Materia slot on his beloved katana and equipped Shear's Materia in it.

"We found it lying on the ground beside you." Cassie picked up the katana, inspecting the Materia with the crystal pyramid inside. Haato suspected that she'd probably done that many times while he was in coma, but didn't voice out his opinion. "It's an unusual materia, isn't it?" She said, passing the katana to him.

Haato took the katana, smiling because the feel of the katana seemed to be the only thing most familiar to his touch. He tried to recall the events that happened while he and Shears were trapped in the lower part of the Corel Mako Reactor.

_Shears saved me back there. He said he was leaving Elf__é to me and then… Shears…_

He looked at Cassie. "This materia belongs to someone who saved my life." He said.

"Then you should take good care of it!" Cassie grinned. "Don't let it go around recklessly! That aside, how are you feeling?"

Haato frowned and tried to stretch his legs. "I'm not really sure…"

"That's understandable. Wait here." The shotgun specialist instructed. "I'll call a doctor right now." Rod nodded at Cassie, and said that he'll inform Tseng and the rest of the Turks.

* * *

><p>It didn't take too long before everyone knew that Haato was woken up. Neither did it take long for the rest of the Turks to gather at Haato's bedside, since all they needed to do is to take the elevator down to Floor 10.<p>

When the doors of the infirmary opened again, the doctor was just finishing up his last bit of checkup on Haato. Luckily, the doctor declared Haato free of any Mako poisoning and with a few days of rest, he'll be able to be discharged. The first person he saw was Leia. Leia walked in and Haato marveled how even after three years, she did not change at all. She was still as beautiful as when he first approached her at the Sector 8 train station under a Turk recruitment drive.

Leia walked toward the bedside of Haato. "You are awake." She said monotonously.

And still as distant as when he first started making advances at her.

"Yeah." Haato smiled. "It's been a while. You look as beautiful as I remembered."

It amused Haato to see how Leia pulled her lips into a thin line every time he flirted with her. He knows that Leia thought him to be a brainless idiot having a penchant for girls. Only Haato knows how he truly feels towards her.

"The rest will be on their way down soon." As she said those words, the doors opened again, now showing Cissnei, Rod, Cassie and Mason.

"Yo!" Mason ran over to Haato and gave him a bear hug. "You're alive!" The martial artist cried happily.

"Urgh. Save your tears for someone else." Haato returned the hug and swiftly pushed the brunette away, grinning. As more people walked in through the doors, Haato couldn't help but realise how much he'd missed the Turks. Even though Haato felt as if the time he went unconscious was merely a few hours and not years, his heart ached at the sight of his comrades.

"Where's Meia?" He scanned the large group of Turks, but found the little ebony-haired girl missing.

"She's away on assignment." Replied Tseng. Haato frowned at the sight of Tseng. Something's changed about him, it seemed that Tseng has grown a lot in the past three years because his countenance looked more mature and roughed up, as if the past three years forced him to mature even more. "She'll be back in a few days time." Haato nodded to acknowledge.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about Leia?" Cassie nudged Leia. "She was the one who visited you the most in the three years!" The Turks laughed.

"I am merely visiting Haato because I hope that he'll recover fast." Leia said, unfazed by the teasing. "At all times we Turks need to be battle-ready."

"Sheesh, Leia!" Jasper rolled his eyes. "I don't remember taking care of a colleague through the night, being battle-Ow!" He yelled when Leia kicked his shin. "What was that for? If you didn't care, you wouldn't be the first one out of the lounge when you heard that Haato's awake!" Leia folded her arms and Alana pulled Jasper to the back to prevent him from saying more.

Haato grinned. "Really, Leia?" Leia stared back at him, as if challenging him to intentionally say something stupid. He did. "Maybe someday I can return you the favour… You know? Go out for dinner or something."

"It's good to see you awake, Haato." Tseng interrupted before Leia could respond.

"… We were worried." Rude piped in, taking out his sunglasses to wipe them.

Reno grinned and patted Haato's back, not caring if Haato groaned at the impact. "You sure are lucky." He shrugged when KK exclaimed that he'll injure Haato.

Straightening himself on the bed, Haato turned to Tseng. "Tseng, sir. Shears told me about AVALANCHE. It seems as if Fuhito plans to use Elfé to destroy the world."

"We gathered that much." Tseng nodded.

"Don't underestimate our intelligence network." Reno grinned while Rod briefly explained to Haato that most of them were involved in it.

Rude slipped the sunglasses against his nose. "But… AVALANCHE hasn't been active since then."

"They've gone dormant?" He frowned. _That's not right, not when they looked so confident of their plans back in the Corel Reactor._ "What happened to Elfé?"

"We're looking for her as well." Tseng answered.

"Then she's still with Fuhito…" He looked at the creases on his blanket thoughtfully. "I wonder if AVALANCHE's ceased their actions for good..." He wondered aloud.

"We're keeping tabs on the situation."

"What about Veld?" Haato argued, wincing as he felt the soreness in his lower back. "Didn't he get Elfé back?" At his words, suddenly the Turks fell silent. Haato knew then that he was about to hear something dreadful.

It was Reno who broke the silence. "Veld's been missing ever since that incident, yo. We're carrying out a search for him too."

"…as part of our orders…" Rude added.

Haato looked at Tseng questioningly. "An order from the President." He folded his arms, and stared at him. "We are to kill Veld on sight."

The realization hit harder than Haato thought. When they told Veld to chase after Elfe, Haato knew that the consequences would be dire. However, this was not what he had expected. "We're going to assassinate Veld?"

"I know, bro!" Mason replied. "It was hard for us to take but that's what we're doing now."

"Kido and Meia are actually in Corel, searching again for clues that can bring us to Veld…" Katherine trailed off when she saw Alana's knowing look. "We can always talk about this again!" She said brightly. "For now, you should get some-"

Her words were cut off as she stepped on her own foot. With a yell, she tumbled onto the floor, sending a metal tray and a box of tissue paper with her.

"Are you alright?" Cissnei asked concernedly.

Haato snickered. "You should get a bed next to me, Katherine. But if your clumsiness is contagious, I'll quarantine you." She pouted as the rest of the Turks laughed.

"Some things haven't changed, Haato." Leia smiled. "Don't think too much about whether you've missed out."

"Indeed." Haato smiled back. He took a deep breath, not caring if the air stank of the perspiration of the Turks, or the nasty disinfectant in the infirmary.

_It feels good to be alive._

* * *

><p>6th June 0006<p>

Surprising even to the patient himself, Haato recovered speedily. The doctor discharged him just three days after he woke up. He gathered his belongings and stuffed them in a bag. Someone must have consistently brought new clothings for him in the years that he was asleep. The last thing that he picked up was his katana, where Shears' Materia glinted at him from his weapon.

_Shears…_ Haato thought again, feeling a tinge of loss for the man who saved his life. _I hope you're alive and alright somewhere. You are still the best man to save Elfe._

Looking up, he spotted Leia standing by the door. "I'm here to bring you back." Said Leia professionally. With a slightly more caring tone, she asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Never been better." Haato grinned. "The doctor relieved me of full-time physiotherapy, what can be better than that?"

"You'd best go back regularly and consistently for the follow up physiotherapy sessions." Leia said, reaching out to take Haato's duffel bag.

Haato obediently handed her the bag and stretched his arms a little. "I'm just glad to be out of this place." He grinned. "I want to be back in action!" Nodding, the martial artist led Haato out of the infirmary and into the glass elevator. "Damn!" Haato exclaimed as he stared out of the glass windows. "This place changed a lot!"

He was referring to the layout of the Shinra Building, because there had been a major change. The company has swapped its previous bluish-white lights for white lights instead. And that was just the minor changes. Not only did the floorings and walls change in colour, they were filled with new number labels (indicating the levels) and arrow stickers. The shocking discovery was that walls and rooms have been removed or added. Haato felt extremely disoriented at the new place and wondered aloud how he slept through all that racket in the past three years.

"The renovation didn't take too long." Leia explained simply. "You should see the lobby, though. The entire exhibition room is gone. Now, all our vehicle displays are sprawled across the lobby."

When the lift doors opened, Haato was glad to see that the Turk floors did not change too much. Just a short distance ahead, Haato noticed a girl with long, dark hair. Although she was short in stature, her posture showed confidence and security. She was sitting in the lounge, reading, but her face was obscured by the book that she was holding.

Haato nudged Leia. "Who's that chick?" He asked, pointing in the lounge.

Leia craned her neck to see where he was pointing. "Oh. That is Meia."

"Meia?" Haato pressed his hands against the glass window to take a better look. "She DID turn out to be a bee-youu-tee!"

"… She's alright." Replied Leia stiffly.

The katana user caught the slight discontent in the martial artist's tone. "Oh?" He smirked, turning to face Leia. "Is someone jealous because I don't care for her anymore?"

"Say stupid things like that and I'll throw you back into comatose."

"Okay!" Haato said, lifting his hands in mock surrender. "Okay…" He said smilingly.

Then, the girl's head shot up and she stared out of the window into the corridor. Her jaw dropped when she saw his face. Closing her book, the girl ran out of the lounge.

"Brother Haato!" Meia exclaimed, throwing her arms around Haato. "You're awake!" She grinned. "I meant to find you as soon as I came back but uh…" She stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "I was distracted by my book!" She squeezed Haato's shoulder affectionately. "Welcome back, Brother Haato, or I guess I should call you just Haato now." She grinned.

"Haato, is it?" The katana Turk raised his eyebrows at her. "Someone's all grown up now, no longer calling us Brother and Sister so-and-so?" Meia laughed and said that she stopped using them for a year or so. "How old are you, little Meia?"

Meia narrowed her eyes at him, though she was smiling. "_Little_ Meia is 18 years old this year! Turning 19 in 6 months' time!"

Haato whistled. "That's a lot you've grown…" He looked at Meia again. "You look beautiful, Meia." He grinned. "Be careful that I don't start coming after you."

The girl blushed at his words. "Don't jest me, Haato. But thanks for the compliment." Her smile grew into a cheeky grin. "Let me know when you've decided to give up on Leia for me." She joked. Long were the days when she would be so painfully shy whenever Haato flirted with her. Haato found himself missing those days when she was a lot younger and easier to bully. Nevertheless, he smiled to himself. This change in her was fresh and it wasn't a bad thing anyway.

"How was the trip to Corel?" Leia asked seriously.

Meia giggled at the realization that Leia was disregarding her last statement. "No leads at all." Meia shook her head. "It's not as if we can find any, it's been a long while since Brother Veld was there…"She sighed. "On the other hand, Kido and I were most unwelcome in Corel." She gestured. "Ever since they moved slightly further north nearer to Mount Corel, they've been more secluded than ever."

"Remember to tell Tseng about all these."

"No worries." Meia held Haato's hand and swung it playfully. "Be sure to rest up, Haato!" She grinned. "Now that you're awake, I believe that you're just in time for more action!"

Haato groaned. "Gimme a break, I just recovered from a coma!"

"I'm going to pop by Tseng's desk, so I'll see you around!" Meia waved to the two of them and almost bounced towards the elevator.

Haato smirked. "She's changed."

"The last time you saw her, she was a 15 year old child who was much shorter in stature…" Leia tried to recall Meia's appearance three years ago. "And hair length I guess."

"I mean, she really has grown up." Haato emphasized, smiling at Leia, as if he took part in Meia's metamorphosis. "I bet the guys in town must be hounding after her." He paused and looked at Leia. "Like how they did when we went for your very first mission."

Leia flushed. Indeed, years ago when she was a rookie Turk, she was tasked to patrol Midgar Sector 8… Her invigilator, Haato, had to step in to intervene because the men of Midgar flocked towards her to ask for her phone number. "You can express your interest to Meia, if you like." She replied coolly. "But she probably wouldn't give a hoot about you. She's still hung up on Reno."

The katana Turk gaped at Leia. "No joke? I didn't want to ask him the other day but… They are still-"

"They've reconciled, if that's what you're asking." Leia answered. "And that's the way it has been the past few years."

They've reached the elevator and entered it. "What do you mean by that?" Asked Haato as the doors closed.

"They're talking to each other." Explained Leia. "But they are just friends."

"What's with them?" Haato frowned and hobbled out of the elevator with some help from Leia.

"I don't know. Not that anyone around cared too much to ask, not with everything else happening at the same time."

Haato stopped in his tracks and pondered aloud. "Meia… changed." Haato scratched his head. "I can't pinpoint exactly what the change is but… She has changed."

Leia raised an eyebrow at him. "I've heard you said it the first time." She said.

"It's not just the physical change. It's more like… Meia's not quite like her. She's a more mature now, isn't she?"

"There have been many things happening. I suppose the change all started from Reno. Meia has been more mature and professional in her work. Her temper is better because she has learnt to reason with her temper. Not that she is able to hide her emotions well like the rest, but she is better. I'd say her mentality finally caught up with her, because she doesn't really have child-like thoughts anymore. Didn't you see the way she responded to you?"

Haato nodded, remembering how Meia merely smiled and played along with Haato's light-hearted advances. "I miss her innocent self." He sighed. "But…" He stopped Leia because she was going start walking again. "But I miss you more."

"Haato…"

"No, Leia, listen to me." Haato said seriously. "Stop thinking that I'm just being playful with you. I'm dead serious about you."

Leia knocked his head lightly with her knuckles. "Don't say silly things, Haato." She said softly. She pointed to the pantry. "I'm sure you can return to your room by yourself, right?" She nodded at him to prompt him to agree.

"… Right." Haato mumbled.

"Good…" Leia nodded, a bit too many times. "I'll see you at dinner, then." With that, she walked into the pantry and Haato heard her climbing the stairs up to the female Turk residences.

Haato hobbled his way back to his room, sighing.

* * *

><p>15 December 0006<p>

In the Turks Lounge, Meia stared at the Turks around her in surprise. "Wha-"

"Happy nineteenth Birthday, Meia!" The Turks chorused.

Meia's face brightened. In the fluster of the events that happened the past few months, Meia was so troubled that she'd forgotten that it was her birthday. "I'm nineteen…" She murmured. "I feel old." She pouted.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Cassie frowned. "You're still in your teens!"

Rod laughed. "Cassie is already 25!" He groaned when Cassie hit his stomach with her shotgun. "I'm speaking the truth! You ain't getting younger!" He grumbled.

"Whatever it is," Leia interrupted. "We don't have much time to waste. Sorry Meia," She said, smoothing the hair on the girl's head. "We can't celebrate your birthday for long. As you can tell, not everyone is here too." She gestured around her.

"It's fine, I'm not a child anymore!" Meia insisted with a blush of embarrassment. Years ago, when she was a child, the Turks were so caught up in searching for AVALANCHE that they've completely forgotten about her birthday. Not that Meia raised a tantrum but when the Turks returned, they realized that the immature girl was childishly ignoring everyone. "I can't believe I was so immature then." She covered her face and groaned.

Mason laughed. "You had a mind of a child, no doubt. Everyone didn't blame you."

Alana walked towards Meia and held out a box for her. "A present from us." Explained the blonde. "I think you'll like it very much."

Meia beamed. "Thank you! Sister Alana, Sister Leia, Sister Cassie, Brother Haato, Brother Jasper, Brother Rod and Brother Mason!" She rattled with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Argh!" Groaned Cassie. "It's been a while since I heard that!" She covered her ears dramatically. "Stop it!" Everyone laughed at her exaggerated actions.

"Shall we cut the cake?" Jasper clapped his hands excitedly. Meia beamed with equal enthusiasm and took the slice of cake and knife that they'd passed her.

As she cut the cake, Mason asked, "What is your birthday wish this year?"

"My birthday wish?" Meia looked at Mason, and at the Turks around her. As her gaze fell upon Haato, who was sitting in an armchair not too far away, she gave a cheeky smile. "I want to know what is the meaning of 'getting laid'."

There was stony silence, except Haato, who cracked up. But Meia knew that Haato probably didn't remember. She still did.

"Not a very appropriate thing to say, little Meia." Leia shook her head.

Mason stammered. "Who… Who taught you that?"

Meia pointed at the katana-user. Everyone chorused in annoyance. "HAATO!"

"When in Gaia's history did that even happen?" Cassie laughed.

"Whoa! Whoa! Watch it!" Haato raised his hands in surrender. "Guy who just recovered from coma, hello?"

"That was six months ago…" Leia narrowed her eyes at him.

Flustered, Haato looked at Meia. "When did I ever say that to you?" He grinned. "You're not even legal till today."

"HAATO!"

"6 years ago!" Meia replied happily. "You know… in the pantry room?" She grinned. "Alana gave you the last chance to redeem yourself and you…" Meia hesitated and chose her words carefully. "You mentioned something about not getting laid." She shrugged. "Brother Reno said I could only use it when I turn sixteen but since Haato was in coma, I thought it's better that I ask him now that he's awake."

Alana reddened, now remembering the event clearly (A/N: Still don't remember? Refer to Chapter 2).

At last, the memory returned and his face broke into understanding. "Damn." Haato grinned at Meia. "Your memory is sick. That did ring a bell."

"What happened?" Asked Mason and Rod.

"It's nothing important." Cut in Alana, her face flushed.

"Oh I remember! I was talking about Alan-poooh" He choked as Alana walked behind him and rapped his head loudly with her gun.

"Enough, Haato." She said threateningly. "I'm not going to give you any chance to say anything."

"Fine, fine…" Haato grumbled. "Well, little Meia." He grinned at her. "One day good ol' Brother Haato can show you the meaning of getting laid."

Meia rolled her eyes. Haato's teasing always sent her blushing, but that was a long time ago. "I know what it is, Haato." She shook her head at him, though she was grinning.

"You won't be able to touch her, anyway." Deadpanned Leia.

"Pedo Reno will get to you before you can even unbuckle your belt." Cassie snorted, and everyone laughed at the old joke.

Meia smiled at her comrades around her and involuntarily thought of the mentioned someone else who was not present…

* * *

><p>If you haven't realised by now, I've been making a ton of references to my older chapters. A lot of flashbacks and random explanations using events that happened years ago... Meia's little 'prank' about asking about 'getting laid' was an idea that i thought of at the same time when I was writing Chapter 2. I had already decided back then that after Reno told Meia that she could only know the meaning of 'getting laid' when she turns 16, Meia would really ask that question on her 16th birthday. But as luck would have it, I realised that her 16th birthday will happen while Haato is in coma so... that scene was out off until now. It's really a joy to see that the things that I've planned since May 2011 (but couldn't write because my story is not developed) are finally rolling out on print!<p>

To those who haven't figured it out by now, the renovations of Shinra HQ is changed such that now it looks how it should look like in FF7. After all, there has been a change in the interior of the Shinra Building since Crisis Core to FF7.

Indeed, there was a time skip of three years, just like how they did for Before Crisis. Events from here kinda feel like I'm speeding through the story, but I assure you that the story wouldn't lose (too much of) flavor!

Thank you for supporting the story! Please read and review!


	53. Kidnapped

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

A/N: So I was a little late in updating! That's because I've been working hard in my internship, and when I need some rest, I play the Sims 3! Anyway, here you go, your long-deserved chapter!

**Chapter 53 – Kidnapped**

Though it was her birthday, Meia was alone in the Turks' office, frowning at the papers sprawled in front of her. After dinner, she excused herself from the others so that she could work on her own research. The clock on her table told her that it was just past eight, not that it mattered. Whoever that was able to wish her happy birthday had already done so. Meia stared at her mindmaps and scribbled sentences, but none gave her more information about Fuhito. Without warning, her brain lulled itself into a slight daydream…

_Meia climbed the mountainous terrain zealously. After all, it was the first time she visited Cosmo Canyon. Also, ever since she learnt that it was the country where AVALANCHE was first formed, she headed towards the amber-painted lands immediately. Reno and Haato were also in Cosmo Canyon, supposedly catching a rare specimen for Hojo. However, Meia didn't intend to let them catch her here without permission._

_She was close to the summit when she saw the man that she was looking for._

"_Fuhito…" She said softly, glaring at the bespectacled man standing in front of her. Was it her imagination or did Fuhito look a little (just a little) more malicious the last time she saw him? The tactician of AVALANCHE looked worse, as if something twisted was brewing inside. When he saw her in front of him, Meia saw a brief flicker of recognition flash across his pale face._

"_Hello, Meia." Fuhito said calmly, sizing her up. Meia understood (and told herself repeatedly) that she must remain her cool lest he take advantage of her anger-driven motive. However, she could barely hide her curiosity at the relationship between Fuhito and her father. Also, if what she suspected was true, then she will find it hard to continue concealing the near-bursting anger inside. And Fuhito knew exactly which buttons to press. "How's your father?"_

_In that moment, Meia's vision seem to flash red. She ran towards Fuhito and grabbed him by his collar. "You killed my father, didn't you?" She spat at him._

"_Tut tut tut, temper issues aren't going to get you anywhere." Fuhito smirked, unfazed by Meia's violence._

"_Answer me!" She growled. "What did you do to my father, you swine?" With a roar, she tossed him onto the ground. "Did you kill him because you couldn't stand the fact that a Turk was disturbing your precious Hojo's experiment?" She taunted and kicked Fuhito in the stomach for good measure._

_With a light but firm grip, Meia felt herself being manhandled and soon Fuhito flipped her over and threw her aside. Fuhito stood up slowly, brushing the sand off his uniform. "I'm in no mood to talk to you." He frowned. "However, I shall be civilized and assure you that my dissent has nothing to do with you. I simply…" He threw a sideway glare at the house behind him. "I simply have trouble with some negotiation. Now…" Fuhito beckoned at something. "If you would excuse me…"_

"_Don't you dare run away!" Meia yelled but before she could run and tackle him, Ravens jumped out from their hiding places and attacked her._

Her recollection ended abruptly, and Meia remembered that she was in the Turks' office, not in Cosmo Canyon. _Damn it!_ Meia thought furiously as she pondered on the incident that happened two months ago. _If I was able to defeat the Ravens, I would've been able to catch Fuhito and beat the crap out of him!_ The number of Ravens were simply too many for Meia to handle so after killing some of them, she retreated quietly, hoping that when Reno and Haato will be able to handle the rest.

_I'm being distracted. _Meia thought, looking at her skimpy notes. _I'm supposed to condense everything that has happened to AVALANCHE the past 5 years into some sort of chart… Not to think about my father's murderer._

Meia reached for a folder, the one that contained her collated information on Fuhito, but the folder was missing. _Where is it?_ She gasped, rifling her folders frantically. _It was just here before dinner…_ Her eye fell on a odd piece of paper, wedged between two folders. _Hm? What's this?_ Meia thought and picked up the slip of paper. Across the paper, in what clearly was Jasper's handwriting and tone, read: "Go to the helipad at 2030 hours! Do not contact anyone about this information, or you'll pay!" It was signed, "Your friendly kidnapper".

Meia smacked her forehead, annoyed with Jasper but amused as well. Over the years, Jasper finally gave up his feelings for her, telling her that he would much rather be friends with her. His relationship with Reno, was nothing short of interesting. Even while he had feelings for Meia, he remained close to Reno, looking up to him more like an awestruck disciple rather than a love rival. His eventual dying feelings for Meia naturally didn't affect his friendship with Reno.

She saw that she didn't have much time before the stated time. _Jasper…_ Meia shook her head and grabbed her blazer. It would be cold up at the helipad and she wouldn't want to entertain his creative idea and catch a cold at the same time. _You've already celebrated my birthday… what now?_

The elevators opened at the helipad and Meia stepped out. She squinted at the darkness, for the helipad was lit only when necessary. Tonight, the moon was exceptionally large and in the faint light, she saw a familiar silhouette, but it was not Jasper's.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the lanky figure, leaning against the railing.

"… Reno?" She asked incredulously. She walked briskly towards the figure and gaped, for it was Reno standing right in front of her.

"Hey Meia." He grinned.

"What are you doing-" She looked around for Rude, but it was only the two of them. "Where's- Weren't you supposed to be-" She frowned. "But it was Jasper's-" She furrowed her brow, overwhelmed by the questions that filled her head.

Reno laughed. "Get on, Meia." He inclined his head towards the back.

That was when she realized behind her, a silent silhouette of a helicopter stood. She gaped at the helicopter and back at Reno. "What about my kidnapped folder?"

"What folder?" Reno grinned. "Your 'misplaced' folder is in your room." He walked towards her and nudged her gently towards the helicopter. "The thing that I'm kidnapping is you." He smirked. Meia blushed but before she could respond, Reno opened the door for her.

_No harm going for a ride. _"… I guess it wouldn't hurt to fly a bit." She smiled, climbing up and into the compartment.

"Good girl." Cooed Reno. He jumped in as well, closing the door behind her. "Well then, buckle your seatbelts, and you can throw me your questions." He said.

As he fiddled with the controls for takeoff, Meia asked, "Was that slip of paper between my folders… yours?" Reno smirked and answered that it was. "Did you ask Jasper to do this?" She made a face. She most certainly didn't think that Reno was capable of such…

"I'm a Turk, please!" He rolled his eyes. "There's nothing too impossible for me! Naturally, wasn't too difficult to mimick his handwriting." He shrugged. "The only thing I told Jasper to do is to make you sit in the Turk office immediately after dinner."

Meia widened her eyes at him. Indeed, it was because Jasper mentioned to Meia that he was overwhelmed by his reports that Meia felt inclined to pick up her pace at her own research of what has happened the past few years regarding AVALANCHE. "Inception." She muttered to herself. "Where's Rude?" After all, the last she saw him, he was boarding the helicopter with Rude to Junon for a mission, and Meia anticipated that she won't see him till after her birthday.

"Alone in Junon."

"You left your mission so that you can give me some de-stress ride." Meia stated flatly.

"In my defense, there was nothing to do in Junon." Reno yawned. "Honestly, Rude and I are just waiting for Tseng's orders to call us back. But well, he shouldn't know that this happened, you get me?" Meia nodded. "Good. More questions?"

"How's the Junon trip?"

"Boring. But you know Tseng. He's just sending us randomly here and there to make us look busy."

Meia agreed. The truth was, Veld seemed to have completely disappeared from the face of the Planet. No matter where they traveled to, he wasn't there, or always a step ahead. Still, Tseng had to face pressure from President Shinra on the whereabouts of Veld, so at least looking as though the Turks are passionately searching for the traitor appeased him.

"So… what are you doing here?" Meia asked.

Reno hesitated a little, thinking of the right words to say. "I'm here to kidnap you." He said. "If you behave and cooperate, I'll return you home." He grinned. Meia gave him a skeptical look, and he understood it. "It's nothing romantic." He assured her.

Meia shrugged. Years ago, in the Turks' pantry, they've made a mutual agreement that they would not do anything that might lead the other on. Only their bystanders knew whether they've truly kept to their agreement.

As she glanced at her surroundings out of the helicopter, she asked the question that she should've asked right from the beginning. "Uh… Where are you taking me to?"

She could've sworn Reno gave her the most evil grin ever. "I was beginning to wonder when you'll realize that." He glanced down at the soon disappearing Midgar city. I'm your kidnapper. You wouldn't think that I'll just take you for a ride, would you?" He leisurely bobbed his head to an imaginary tune. "Just sit tight and you'll see where I'm bringing you."

* * *

><p>Meia frowned at the surroundings around her. She remembered that Reno headed south of Midgar initially, but once she saw that the terrain below was nothing but pitch darkness blending in with the night sky as one boundless landscape, she knew that the helicopter was over the seas and it was from there that she lost her sense of direction. Only Reno seemed to have an internal navigator, for he was not anxious at the fact that the helicopter was shrouded with darkness. He has piloted too many times so much so that he knew instinctively his directions. Soon Meia gave up trying to guess and contented herself with light conversations with the pilot Turk.<p>

It was hours before Reno told Meia that he will be descending. Meia checked her watch and saw that it was half an hour before midnight. "That's some effort you put in order to wish me 'Happy Birthday'." She smiled.

"Glad you appreciate it." Reno grinned. He checked his PHS for the time. "I'm lucky, I've got quite a bit of time." He said to himself

"I have absolutely no idea where I am." Meia squinted at the darkness around her but couldn't find anything that she remembered vaguely about.

"That's the whole idea." Grinned Reno.

They landed on a grassy patch. Meia could imagine the whirring noises made by the chopper blades sounding almost deafening in the quiet of the night. Around her, she was surrounded by cliffs and trees.

"This way," Said Reno, taking her by her hand. "We gotta walk a bit, yo?"

They traversed the winding path. Meia looked up at the multitude of stars, marveling to herself how there still were many places that she had yet to visit. She frowned as she noticed the stars getting fewer in number, but soon realized that it was because the sky was a little brighter than just now.

"No joke…" She said to herself. "Is it dawn already?" She checked her watch, it was not even midnight yet.

"Don't panic." Reno laughed. "You'll see why later."

As they finally burst through the clearing, Meia gaped at the sight before her.

"Is… Is this… Banora?" She exclaimed.

It was indeed Banora, but not how she remembered it. The town was still inhabited and utterly destroyed by Shinra missiles six years ago. However, seeping between the gaps of massive debris, were aqua lights so concentrated that it lit the night sky. Meia stared at the aqua-turquoise swirls of light… _Life…_ She realized, recognizing the same blue-green swirls shrouding a dead person. _It is the Lifestream._

"Beautiful place, huh?" Reno spoke softly beside her.

"Beautifully tragic, more like." She stared at what once was the town famous for their Banora White Juice. "The missiles hurt the ground, breaking right into the Lifestream… isn't it?"

Reno nodded. "I didn't want to remind you of the past but it was a pretty place to look at, nevertheless. Who knows how long this sight can remain? So I brought you here to enjoy." Reno ruffled her dark hair affectionately. "Happy Birthday."

Meia beamed brightly back at Reno. "Thank you, Reno!" She nodded at the sight in front of her. "Indeed, while it brings back memories of when I saw Brother Zack here… And an injured Tseng…" She shook her head. "But it has been such a long time. Too long… Many things have changed." She said sadly to herself.

"We're just gonna stay here a bit longer, then I'll bring you back to Midgar." Reno said, flopping himself onto the soft ground.

Meia followed suit. "'It's not romantic', my ass." Muttered Meia as she did so.

"It really isn't!" Reno argued. "I happened to chance upon this area a few months ago and thought it would be fun to bring you here, yo?" He smirked. "You should be flattered that I thought of bringing you here."

"Flattered? More like flabbergasted," Meia said, grinning. "That you chanced upon this romantic sight with Rude beside you." She prodded his side playfully. "YOU should be flattered that I haven't thought of you as gay."

Reno narrowed his eyes at her. "Flattered? More like flabbergasted that you even thought me as gay!" He repeated her words. They laughed good-naturedly at each other and fell into silence, admiring the picturesque sight. "What's up with you, anyway?" Reno asked, after a short while.

"What do you mean?"

"For one, you are much quieter." Reno mused. "You snap at people easily, you hole yourself in the office, working extra hard at AVALANCHE's whereabouts. Come to think of it, that drastic change happened a few months back… Maybe after we brought back that lion specimen from Cosmo Canyon."

Meia looked at Reno, recalling the scarlet lion-looking creature that was said to be the species closest to the Planet, after the Cetra. "It's…" She faltered. Whatever problems she had with Fuhito was her personal problem. Her vendetta against him has nothing to do with her job as a Turk. Perhaps it might even hinder current plans. "It's nothing much."

"Then I won't probe further." Replied Reno. "Though I know you'll tell me eventually."

She couldn't deny that. Reno was her closest confidante. Meia sought advice from Reno the most, even if it was less frequent than when she was a child, regarding any possible problems that she believed with her innocent faith that Reno had an answer. In a few short sentences, Meia admitted to Reno everything that happened while she was in Cosmo Canyon. "I don't mean to make actions on my own accord." Meia said guiltily. "But I couldn't resist.

Reno sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You are getting into trouble for not telling Tseng firsthand." He said with a disapproving tone. "What happened to accountability?"

"It all went down the drain the minute we decided to help Veld- Ow!" She groaned as Reno knocked her head with his EMR.

"That was a rhetorical question."

Meia rubbed the back of her head. It was obvious that Reno was unhappy with what she did, but she couldn't blame him for it. After all, as things stood, the Turks only had each other for support. They couldn't risk not knowing any information that might help or hinder them. "Sorry." She mumbled. "I'll tell Tseng when I return."

Reno slung his arm around her and patted her shoulder. "You better." He said quietly, caressing her head at the spot where his EMR hit. Meia closed her eyes and allowed herself to lean against Reno, just slightly. No words were exchanged for a short while, till Reno spoke again. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Mm?" Meia said in a half-hearted tone.

"What if it is true? That Fuhito is the man who killed your father."

Meia quickly sat straight again, hoping that despite the Lifestream illuminating their faces Reno couldn't see that she was blushing. She shrugged Reno's arm off her shoulder, inwardly chiding herself that in his embrace she'd momentarily forgotten what they were talking about. "Well," She coughed. "If it is true, then I… I don't know." She admitted.

"You don't know?" Asked Reno skeptically.

"I want to take revenge…" Meia said quietly. "But I feel weird thinking of it. Taking away someone's life because he took away another's… We'll be just like those rage-driven avengers… like AVALANCHE who is so bent on saving the Planet, even at unethical costs." She shuddered, not being able to imagine what Fuhito was thinking, keeping Elfe with him so that he could manipulate her to summon Zirconiade when the time is ripe.

"Meia." Said Reno in an almost surprised tone. "What makes you think we're any holier than them?"

Meia couldn't deny. "Indeed…" She murmured. "We aren't much better… We've long strayed away from the path of repentance."

"Well, let me put it in this perspective." Said Reno, gesturing his hands like a photoframe. "Fuhito is currently the biggest enemy of Shinra, and if he happened to be your father's murderer-"

"Taking revenge on Fuhito would kinda be killing two birds with one stone, isn't it?" She finished for him, smiling at his simple logic.

"Atta girl." Smiled Reno, like a proud father.

Meia threw him a quizzical look. "Not the best thing to be proud of." She mumbled, turning her attention on the airy lights from the bottom of the cliff overlooking Banora. "But well, much has changed, hasn't it?" Meia sighed. "I used to sincerely believe that Fuhito was my father's friend… I felt bad that I gave up his offer to join AVALANCHE back in Kalm… But I should've known."

"You wouldn't have known. No one would."

Meia smiled to herself. "You know... One of the reasons why I didn't leave Shinra for AVALNCHE was because of you."

She heard Reno shift slightly. "That's news." His tone was of controlled surprise, perhaps at the discovery that Meia already had feelings for him long before he did. "So the reason you gave Veld then was rubbish?" He taunted.

"Don't be too full of yourself." Meia rolled her eyes at Reno.

Reno grinned. "That's unexpected... A nice 'unexpectation', if there's such a word." He laid back on the grass and stared at the night sky above him. "Then again, there were many things that I never expected would happen."

Meia turned behind to look at him. "Really? I thought a Turk will always be prepared in the face of constant danger." She teased.

"That's not true. For one, I never expected that I'll be a Turk… I thought I was 'manly' enough to kill, until Alyssa came along." Reno gave a quick sigh. "I never thought that one day we'll be hunting down our leader… Neither did I ever imagine that we will collectively go rogue on Shinra." Reno laughed.

"Things never turn out the way we want, huh?"

They grinned at each other and stared back at the scintillating ruins below.

"Of course," Meia heard Reno say and turned to face him. "Nothing in my training of being a Turk can ever prepare me for… For you." He propped himself up by the elbows and looked at Meia.

Meia reddened at his words. "Don't make me sound like I'm some kind of disaster." She scrunched her face at him.

Reno laughed, not his usual annoying one whenever he made a weak joke, but one that was warm and kind, something that Meia saw in Reno years ago when he still labeled himself as a monster who killed innocent lives without remorse. "Let's go, Meia." He said, standing up and reaching out a hand for her to hold. "It's a long flight back to Midgar."

For no reason, Meia recalled the very first time he reached out his hand to her in that same fashion. It was the first day she was in the Shinra Building, when Alana first told Meia off because the little girl was flippant in wanting to be a Turk. Reno had specially searched for her and found her at the end of the corridor, right next to the emergency exit. Meia hid a giggle, because back then Reno wasn't effective in cheering her up. However, she remembered how sincere his concern was. She always remembered.

_Reno had always been here for me, since the beginning of my life as a Turk. _Meia smiled to herself and reached out her hand to place it on his. _I hope it'll always be so._

* * *

><p>When the helicopter landed softly on the helipad of the Shinra Builiding, Reno opened the door and lifted Meia off from the helicopter. Setting her on the floor gently, he said, "Well, thanks for allowing yourself to be kidnapped so easily."<p>

"I did cooperate fully, as you've requested." Meia grinned. "Although I bet I can fight you if I want to."

"Argh, you're sounding more and more cocky, like Cassie."

Meia smiled. "Thank you for... Kidnapping me?" Reno shrugged. "Well then, goodnight!"

"Oh Meia?" Meia turned to see Reno reaching into his pocket. "Here's your long overdue birthday present."

He tossed a red box at Meia and she barely caught it. She said her thanks and opened the box. "... Earrings?" She smiled.

"New earrings." Reno declared. "With magic-boosting powers imbued in them. You have been wearing the previous ones for a long time, haven't you?"

Meia smiled. "Yeah, till they broke last year and I haven't had time to buy new ones." She narrowed her eyes at Reno. "You don't come across to me as those who notices these things. Last time, I took you a week before you realized I was wearing your earrings."

"Please, I'm a Turk!" He said for the second time. "There's nothing too impossible... Alright, alright." He relented as Meia rolled her eyes. "I asked Cissnei." Reno stretched out his hand. "May I have the honour of wearing them for you?"

Meia handed him the box. "You mean you'll wear them on yourself for me?" She teased.

"Funny."

Meia tensed a little as Reno stepped closer towards her. She could feel his presence right in front of her and her ears flushed as his fingers made contact with her earlobe. His scent of fresh laundry never seemed to change, even after being out of the headquarters for some time.

"Thank you, Reno." She said shyly as Reno stepped away to admire his work. She touched her new magical earrings. Instead of small, golden looped earrings, they were simple studs, encasing a simple gem with a bluish radiance. "I love all the earrings you give me!"

"No problem, kiddo." He smiled. "You know, seeing you this happy with the earrings..." He said, taking a step back and admiring the earrings on Meia as if it was some sort of masterpiece. "Makes me want to be the sole provider of your earrings for the rest of your life."

Meia stared at Reno, blushing to the tips of her roots. The extremely casual comment that he'd given implied an element of commitment. "Reno..."

"Now, off you go before you have to report for work again." Reno quickly said before she could continue.

Meia checked her watch and groaned when she saw that it was close to four in the morning. "Goodnight, Reno. See you around!" She waved and walked towards the elevator.

Reno stood and watched her, waving whenever she turned back to look at him, till she disappeared behind the elevator doors. He yawned and stretched himself. It has indeed been a long and tiring night and he needed to return to Junon. The truth that he didn't tell Meia was that he had an important task to complete the next day but Rude actually allowed Reno to fly back to Midgar. A _rare phenomenon, coming from Rude. _Reno thought. _Though now he WILL kill me for returning to Junon at five in the morning. _He thought of the number of times Meia smiled at his words and actions… How shy she looked when he put on her earrings.

_Everything was worth it. _

Reno climbed onto the helicopter and made his way back to Junon.

* * *

><p>18 December 0006<p>

Mason was lounging lazily in the pantry. For the past few months, the Turks have been working hard to find Fuhito, AVALANCHE and Veld but to no avail.

"Finally, a day of rest!" Mason stretched himself against the chair. "Yo, Meia. Get me a beer." He said to Meia as she walked in.

Meia rolled her eyes. "I just walked in!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "No 'hi's, no 'how have you been?'." She grumbled good-naturedly and opened the fridge door. "Where's the nice ol' Mason who would treat the females so well that it sickens Leia?" She grinned, tossing his the glass bottle from the fridge.

The martial artist caught it expertly with one hand. "Anyway, I'm still a gentleman, little Meia." He grinned. "And I shall prove it by offering you the first sip." He held it for her.

Meia chuckled and was about to reach for the bottle when they both heard Alana walk in. "There isn't time to relax now." She said politely. "Tseng has just received reports on two escaped research samples…" Mason and Meia stared at her signature serious face whenever she meant nothing but business. "… From Nibelheim."

Meia's heart flipped at the mention of the enigmatic place. "Brother Zack…" She muttered. She looked at Alana. "We're all activated?"

"Yes." Alana nodded, lifting a piece of paper to consult the details. "Meia, go to Nibelheim and scout the area for SOLDIER First Class, Zack Fair. There should be a man with him, but we are not sure if the man is capable of combat." She turned to Mason. "Head east of Nibelheim and search for Zack…" Alana consulted the paper again. "Kido and KK will be in the same team as you."

"Roger that." Mason nodded. With that, they swiftly left the pantry, leaving the condensed cold beer on the table.

* * *

><p>Please check out my blog for more mishmash and shoutouts to my reviewers: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com<p>

Important question though: To those who don't have any idea what Before Crisis is talking about, are you catching up with the story so far? Did I make myself clear about what's happening so much so that you can understand my story even without having the knowledge of BC? It's kinda important, especially since after Zack's death, the story will turn to focus on Before Crisis events heavily. Just let me know via PM or review, okay?


	54. Save

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Enjoy :)

**Chapter 54 – Save**

19 December, 0006, South of Nibelheim

It was along the sea south of the Nibel Area, flanked between two walls of earthy stone, that Cissnei saw the targets that she needed to capture back to Shinra. When she saw the dark-haired man that she hadn't seen for more than four years, Cissnei felt her blood run cold, as if she had just seen a ghost.

_Technically, he should be a ghost. _Cissnei frowned. _Zack Fair…_ Cissnei checked her watch. It was a few minutes before 10 P.M. If she was successful, she will be able to bring Zack back to the headquarters before midnight. _And question him tomorrow. _

There were many things that Cissnei wanted to ask and tell him… She never dared to ask, but now… After seeing him gone and back again… Cissnei must ask him what happened in the past four years… and tell him her feelings for him.

Gripping her Rekka tighter, she crept closer to the man, but even her light footsteps were no match for his sharp, Mako-enhanced ears. "Hey, Cissnei. Been a while." He said, without turning to check if it was her.

His voice sounded raw to her ears. Four years had gone by and Cissnei had resigned herself to believing that she'll never hear his voice again. "Zack." She paused. Even mentioning his name was foreign to her. "The fugitive samples… is it you?" Even though she knew the answer, she just had to be sure. She needed the confirmation that he was taken away by Shinra, and was now standing right in front of her.

"It would appear so." Was his quiet reply.

"What did they do to you in that place?" Cissnei persisted. Even at a distance, she could smell Mako and tried not to imagine the different possibilities. After all, it was Hojo's idea that he kept them locked under the Shinra Mansion for four years.

"Well… this and that…" He turned to her, gesturing. Cissnei's tense body relaxed when she saw his face, looking exactly like how he did four years ago. The cool sea breeze played with his fringe playfully, not fitting the awkward silence between them. "So, Cissnei, you're here to take us back, right?"

She startled at his question and hesitated. _Indeed, I am here to take them back, but…_ Cissnei looked away, not caring if the wind was making her fly-away hair tickle her face. _If they return, no doubt they'll be locked up again, or executed._

"Please!" Zack pleaded, snapping Cissnei out of her thoughts. "Just walk away!" She stared at him, wondering why her hardened heart is giving away to the man that she was ordered to capture. "I thought we could outrun the army, but the Turks are a different story."

Cissnei's heart softened at his words. The Turks and SOLDIER have been at loggerheads for a long time, each group not acknowledging the importance of the other. Hearing Zack acknowledge that he cannot outrun the Turks was something unexpected, but comforting to hear.

_What are you doing? _Her mind chided. _It is your job to catch them. This is not the time to talk about feelings._

"Zack," She whispered, looking down. "I'm sorry." There were many things she wanted to apologise for. For approaching him only because it was her assignment, for not being whole-hearted in their friendship, for not standing to Zack when she heard that he was being held captive in Nibelheim…

For not intending to let Zack escape.

She held Rekka high in a fighting stance. "This is my job." She declared with an aching in her heart. "If you want to escape, you'll have to…"

_Kill me? _Cissnei faltered. That would be nice, at least she didn't have to answer to Tseng, and she can die with Zack beside her. _Maybe death is my only option if I want to have the cake and eat it too._

With a roar, Cissnei swung Rekka at Zack. Swiftly, he pulled out his large sword (The Buster Sword, if she wasn't mistaken) and deflected her attack. He pointed the sword at her and she took a step back warily, glancing at the Rekka that landed on the sandy ground.

_Even after four years of experimentation, he is still good in his combat. _Cissnei thought with despair. _There is no way I can win him._

She took a step forward but Zack barked at her to stand back. "Next time… I'll really have to…" He too, didn't finish his sentence. He only walked away from her, pointing the Buster Sword at her still.

As he ran off, Cissnei looked down and gave a dry laugh. There's no way Tseng would allow this to happen. She… She must finish her job. Even if it meant facing the man she cared for, even if it meant losing her life… "There is nothing too impossible for the Turks." She muttered, now picking up Rekka and running in the direction where Zack left.

Cissnei didn't have to search long. She soon found him lying by a large rock. Once again, Zack sensed her presence and turned. "Cissnei." He growled, this time his voice was not friendly. She walked towards Zack, her heart prepared for a long and painful battle. But as he turned his sword at her, she noticed a man lying by the rock.

"Wait," She peered behind Zack. "He… He's the other sample they collected at Nibelheim." She said, glancing at Zack.

"Why did you come here?" Zack snarled, running in front of the blond man to protect him. "I told you to go away."

Cissnei shook her head. "He doesn't look well, Zack." She frowned at the blond. His eyes were open, but glassy-eyed. He was breathing slowly, as if his mind was not conscious. "Is he alright?"

"Mako addiction. Severe case." Zack deadpanned. It hurt Cissnei to hear the usually jovial Zack use that tone with her, but it wasn't the time to think about that.

"The experiments, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Cissnei glanced at the blond man again. _Shinra did this to them, did this to him. _She stared at the grassy floor. _How many people have I killed and silenced so that Shinra can rule peaceably? Am I… Am I able to continue this charade, now that I know that Shinra wouldn't hesitate to dispose even the people who pledged their loyalty to him?_

_Veld… _She bit her lip. Even as she was now in Nibelheim on a mission to capture Zack, the other Turks were ordered to capture Veld. _Even Veld, who has served Shinra for many years, couldn't leave the Turks just to find his long-lost daughter. There's nothing… nobody… that I can save, unless…_

Before she could stop herself, she reached into her breast pocket and pulled out her black PHS, dialing Tseng's number. Zack tried to protest but she held a hand at him, shushing him successfully.

Tseng's voice was heard on her PHS. "Yes, Cissnei?"

"Tseng," Cissnei said, her heart palpitating. "I've lost the target."

"What?" Tseng exclaimed. "I don't remember you being so careless! Continue to look out for them and report to me once you've captured them."

"Mm." Cissnei replied, flipping the phone shut. It was natural for Tseng to be so high-strung. He might just become the high-strung sort of leader in the future. Turning to Zack, she smiled genuinely. "That's how it is… so get away safely." She walked away, but her heart was pumping. For Zack, she lied to Tseng…

"Cissnei, thank you." He said, his tone warm and friendly, just like how she remembered. And for a moment, everything was worth it. _Should I tell Zack my feelings…?_ She clutched her heart and wondered. _No. Now is not a good time._ She reasoned. _He has a burden to worry about, he can't be burdened further by my feelings._

She walked towards him. "Here's a present." She handed him a bunch of keys. "If you think you can trust me, then use it." She smiled and giving him one last glance, she walked away before she regretted her actions.

Away from Zack Fair and his companion, Cissnei now called Rod. "Rod, listen." She said slowly.

"What's up, Ciss?"

"Your motorcycle and the sidecar… I lost it in the mountains."

She heard Rod curse her through the phone. "How could you!" He yelled. "I hand-modelled that thing!"

Cissnei winced. "I'm sorry, Ro-"

"It was my best work, completely unregistered under Shinra and untrackable! I lent that to you so that you could knock out those son-of-a-bitch experiment samples and transport them back to HQ, not to lose it in the mountains!"

Sighing, Cissnei assured Rod that she'll pay for everything it took to reassemble a new one for him. Rod was half-appeased, but threw in a few more nasty conditions. She quietly took his crude words and apologized whenever he paused. _Knowing that Zack will live because of Rod's bike will be worth it._

* * *

><p>Tseng was in a room with someone, on the Turk residential floors when he picked up a call. Hoping that it was Cissnei with better news regarding Zack Fair, he answered. The caller was Meia.<p>

"Tseng?" She said. "I'm in some forest near Nibelheim."

Tseng nodded. "Did you see Veld?"

"No, I didn't. But there's something I want to tell you." Meia paused momentarily. "I'm going to Nibelheim."

Tseng frowned. "You don't have to enter town."

"I know, but I'm doing this for my own sake." Meia began talking incessantly. "There have been many things on my mind regarding Nibelheim. I want to know what happened to Vincent Valentine, since he disappeared and records showed that he last went to Nibelheim. My father went to Nibelheim and met Fuhito there, maybe there are clues. And Brother Zack…"

"No." Tseng said firmly. "This has nothing to do with your mission. Your mission is to look for Veld."

"I'm sorry, Tseng!" She declared. "I'm calling NOT to ask for your permission!" Before Tseng could reply, Meia hung up.

"Hey! Wait! Meia! Damn it..." He cursed as he flipped his phone. "She hung up."

In the room, Rufus Shinra clicked his tongue. "From the way that sounded, it seems like your Turk has run renegade on you again." He pointed.

Since the capture at Corel, Rufus Shinra was hidden in the Turk's residential rooms. His father, President Shinra, had no intention of releasing him yet. So he remained with the Turks. His room was comfortably furnished, with a computer at hand to read the news. No one except the Turks knew his hiding place, not even President Shinra himself. Tseng recently told President Shinra that his son was on an assignment overseas.

At the suspicious tone of Rufus' voice, Tseng stammered. "N-no... not at all." Rufus shrugged and continued reading his newspaper. The Turks take turns to watch over Rufus. Now that everyone else was outside on a mission, it was Tseng's job to ensure that Rufus Shinra is well-taken care of.

_Meia_... Tseng sighed as he returned to his newspaper. _The army's out there too. Watch yourself._

* * *

><p>When Meia entered the library of the Shinra mansion, she stared at the person in front of her, shell-shocked. For of all places, she would've never thought that she'll meet Veld.<p>

"Sir!" She stared at him, not dressed in a suit and tie, but in a plain long sleeved top and black jeans. "Brother Veld…" She said, feeling relieved to meet the man that she respected.

Veld swiftly turned, in preparation to attack, but stopped when he saw that it was the little Turk. "Oh, it's you, Meia. It's been a long time." He held his unafraid gaze at her. "Have you come to kill me?"

Meia stared at him. Indeed, the Turks were told to kill Veld on sight. "Sir, I…" She sighed. "It's true. We've been ordered to carry out your assassination, but I… I…" She bit her lip in her dilemma. "There's no way I could kill you!"

The former head of the Turks glanced at her, his face not giving away anything. "You would betray the Turks and the Shin-Ra Company?"

_Indeed, Meia. _She asked herself. _Would you do that?_

Finally, she nodded. "I've been giving this a lot of thought. The company will use any means to achieve their ends." She paused, thinking about the many people who died under Shinra's hand. "But the fact stands that without the Shin-Ra, a whole bunch of people would be suffering." _Besides…_ "I want to stay here with the Turks because we are what you made us. You made the Turks what they are today." She kept her double guns back in the holster. "That's why I'm going to help you. It's the least I can do now…"

"Meia…" He frowned. Meia steeled herself for anything that he had to say. But for once, she saw him smile genuinely. "I'm glad you're here with me."

_Brother Veld…_ She beamed at his words, for they meant much more than he could've ever imagined. She walked closer to Veld. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm looking for a way to save Felicia. If you didn't know, during the time that I lost her, I thought she was dead. But she wasn't." Veld trailed his fingers against the book spines on the bookshelf. "She was captured by Hojo, he fused some Materia into her."

"Hojo…" Meia frowned. "Doesn't he have other things to do apart from experimenting on people?"

"This is where she underwent that operation that fused that Materia to her. I thought there might be something left in the records that could give me a clue." He replied, flipping through the old, dusty volumes.

Meia peered over his shoulder. "Have you found anything?"

Veld nodded slightly. "I've discovered a bit over the past three years. So long as that Materia stays embedded in Felicia's body, it will eventually kill her. To get it out of her, I have to use a special kind of Materia." He glanced at Meia. "The Turks are in possession of one of them, I believe."

Somewhere in her mind, she recalled Kido telling her about a Materia they've found next to Haato in the Corel Reactor. "You mean that one that we got in Corel?" Veld nodded and said that that was the one. Meia frowned. _But how could he know about that?_ According to Reno, Veld left them before Haato was found. There was no way he could have heard about the Materia.

Those events happened just an hour ago. Now, Veld and Meia were running along the basement of Shinra's Mansion, a well-lit area for such an unused house as this. Shortly after their conversation, they discovered that there was a vault located somewhere in the mansion and it required a combination of numbers to unlock it. Conjecturing that the other Materia to help Elfe might be behind the vault, they've explored the mansion trying to find clues to the combination lock.

Standing in front of a mauve-grey steel door, Meia muttered to herself, "Let's see what happens when we put the numbers in. 30... 40... 50... All right."

The heavy doors gave way with a low moan, but opened wide enough for Meia and Veld to slip through. It was a dark, unfurnished room and Meia squeaked with terror when she saw coffins lying by the side of the room. Veld frowned at her timidness, but she argued frightenedly, "There's a coffin inside!"

Veld walked towards one of the coffins. "The Materia might be in there. Let's get the lid off."

_He's not joking!_ She realised fearfully. She stared at him, wide-eyed with distress. Veld merely sighed and shook his head. He walked towards the coffin and moved it and Meia quickly joined him to pull the coffin open.

As the coffin lid fell, Meia tried not to whimper at the man lying inside the coffin. It was a tall, young and handsome man, dressed in a black buckled piece and a tattered red cape. As she looked closer, she realised that the man was breathing. _He's not dead._ She thought, her fears dissipating. _What is a man doing in a place like this?_

Suddenly, the man's eyes opened, revealing bright crimson orbs. Meia squealed this time, jumping back and pulling out her gun but Veld held his hand out to stop her. The man silently sat up and got out of the coffin, facing Veld with a look of recognition.

Veld apparently recognised him too. "Vincent?"

"Vincent?" She stared at the man with expectance and shock. "As in, Vincent Valentine?"

The man spoke, and it was a deep, rich voice. "Veld..."

Meia stared at Vincent's face, clear and undeterred by any signs of aging. "That's… That's impossible!" She said, taking a step forward to look at him. "If he's the Turk Vincent Valentine, he should be… 50 or something!" From behind her, a group of men ran in with guns propped against their bodies. Meia spun around. "AVALANCHE?" She exclaimed, pulling her hand guns.

"There's a lot I want to ask you..." Veld looked Vincent with a frown.

Vincent shrugged. "...but it looks as if it will have to wait."

"Can you fight?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll ask you to act as her support." Veld said, pointing at Meia, who was now engaged in combat with the four men. "She is Joseph Etsky's daughter." He settled on a fighting stance and looked at Vincent for a response.

Vincent frowned a little before a small smile played on his lips. "I remember him. The young Turk." With that, he joined in with Meia in the battle. Meia grinned at Vincent, but the former Turk did not see it. She felt overwhelmed by the events that had happened. She expected Vincent Valentine to be dead, for starters. Yet now, he was fighting alongside her.

As the last AVALANCHE members fell, Vincent kept his gun back in his holster and looked at Veld. "It's been a while."

Veld nodded slowly. "You... haven't changed. You don't look any different from the day you disappeared."

The former Turk gave a dry laugh. "The passage of time has no meaning for me." He said in an almost bitter voice. "I don't care how long it's been."

_Passage of time means nothing to him… _Meia frowned. _Did Professor Hojo stop him from aging? Is that even possible?_

"...Hojo did this to you?" Veld enquired, but Vincent shook his head.

"Sorry... It's not something I can get into. I'm here to atone for sins I've committed in the past." He gestured at the coffin beside him. Veld wanted to persist but did not eventually. "Veld. Why did you come here?"

Veld replied that they were looking for a particular Materia. "This is the one." Said Meia, holding a picture of it on her PHS. She secretly took a picture of it while she was taking care of Haato some years back. "There's a pyramid shaped jewel inside it."

The young man looked at the picture, frowning. "I've seen that Materia before. You should take a look at the stained glass room."

"Really?" Meia beamed. "That is a good lead for us, Brother Veld!" Then, Meia paused slightly, glancing at Vincent with a bold idea in her heart. Finally she drew the courage to ask, "Mr. Valentine, would you…" She looked at Vincent with expectant eyes. "Would you like to join us in our battle? I've… I've always admired you, my father talked about you incessantly when I was a child. And whenever I remember stories about how capable you are..." She smiled shyly. "They really saved me from giving up all these." She spread her hands around her, indicating everything that has happened to her as a Turk. "It'll mean a lot to me... to us... If you returned and join us as a Turk again."

Vincent looked at Meia with a slight interest. Not answering her question, he asked, "How is Joseph Etsky?"

"Dead." Veld replied for Meia.

Vincent nodded slowly. "Sorry to hear that... Also, I understand your concerns regarding your problem, but everything that you've told me doesn't concern me at all."

"Mr. Valentine…" Meia bit her lip.

"Child, I've no interest in joining any battle, nor anything to be exact." He stared at his coffin. "I can't leave." He turned back to his coffin. "Go to the stained-glass room and get whatever you want, and leave."

A sudden noise outside the door interrupted their conversation. "Damn. We've been overheard." Veld said, staring out of the door. Turning back to Vincent, he said, "We'll meet again later, Vincent."

Meia followed Veld out of the vault, throwing one last glance at the man that began her entire life in Shinra. She turned back and saw that Veld was much ahead of her. "Brother Veld, sir! Wait!" She exclaimed, picking up the pace and running behind him.

* * *

><p>In the Shinra headquarters, there was a knock on President Shinra's door. At his assent, the door opened to a Shinra soldier. The president narrowed his eyes at him and nodded his cue for the soldier to speak. "Sir," Greeted the young man with a clear voice. "We've received a classified message from the Head of Weapons Development."<p>

"A message from Scarlet?" Shinra asked. The young soldier nodded and walked towards his desk to place an envelope on the table. "All right, I'll read it. You can withdraw." The soldier made a salute and left the room quietly. "What has she got for me?" He wondered aloud, opening the letter. This was what the letter read.

"The Turks have been secretly helping Veld, against your direct orders." President Shinra swore softly to himself, but continued reading nevertheless. "The best thing to do would be to cut the Turks out of the picture and let me handle the manhunt. I've got all the needed resources in place."

_Damn them... _Shinra set the letter down and rubbed his temples. _I would have them killed right now for their insubordination... But they have Rufus... _His son was his biggest weakness now, since he had no idea where the Turks kept him away. _What am I going to..._

Pressing the intercom button, he barked at his secretary. "Get me Scarlet! There will be a new classified mission." His brow furrowed with determination. "We will capture Veld!"

* * *

><p>In the Turks' Lounge, Meia spent almost an hour explaining to Tseng what had happened while she was in Nibelheim. Reno and Rude were there as well.<p>

"So..." Tseng folded his arms and frowned. "You are saying that _he _is in the Shinra Mansion all along, looking for a way to save Elfe, who all along had a Materia embedded on the back of her hand."

"Then you met your all-time hero, Vincent Valentine-" Reno added with a grin.

"Who refused to help you and the Turks." Finished Rude, pushing his sunglasses against his nose.

"... Back to the main point." Interrupted Tseng before Reno and Rude digressed from the more important matter. "Ve- _He_ is looking for four Materia, and one of them is in our possession?"

Meia nodded. "That's right. It's the one that Shears gave Haato. _He _said that the Materia embedded in Elfe's hand is draining her life force. Only when the four Materia are summoned together, will Elfe's Materia stop draining her." Meia added sheepishly. "We found another Materia in the Shinra Mansion, but..." Meia gritted her teeth. "But Fuhito snatched it away from us."

"That means two more in an unknown place, and one to retrieve from AVALANCHE from AVALANCHE..." Reno muttered.

"_He _knocked me unconscious, because he saw that there was the army monitoring nearby." Meia continued. "When I woke up, I found a slip on the floor." She passed the slip to Tseng. "_He _said to find 'Reeve' for the remaining locations..." She stared at Tseng. "Tseng, please!" She begged. "Brother Veld is like a father to us all!" She bit her lip. "Let's help him save Elfe!"

Tseng's jaw tightened. "When you called for us to meet you here, Meia," He said slowly. "I was expecting a full apology report on why you went renegade on us and barged into Nibelheim without permission. We are not even supposed to have this conversation." He stood up and turned to leave.

"Tseng!" Meia yelled behind him. "If you didn't care about Brother Veld, you wouldn't have listened to my whole story without interrupting me!" She ran towards him.

"Meia." Tseng's cold voice gripped her like an unrelenting jaw. "We are the Turks. Veld is no longer our supervisor. We get our orders direct from the President." He paused and considered the next words to say. "You should be glad that I'm going to pretend that I've heard nothing from you just now."

Meia ran to stand in front of Tseng. Pulling her gun out, she placed it in Tseng's hand and led the barrel of the gun to her heart.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Reno exclaimed, standing up immediately to stop them.

Even Rude was taken aback by Meia's actions. "What do you think you're-"

Both Turks stopped when Tseng lifted a hand. Tseng held Meia's gun firmly and placed it against her temple. "Are you threatening me?" He deadpanned, glaring at her. "I won't hesitate to kill you, you know."

Meia stared back at Tseng, unfazed by his threat. "Tseng." She said with a low and steady voice. "Years ago, when I was much younger, you challenged me that if I really wanted to go to Junon with the other Turks, I needed to shoot you." She made a grim smile at the memory (A/N: Chapter 24). "I'm returning these words to you. I'm the only one standing in your way, Brother Tseng. If you can lie against your own conscience and deny that you don't trust Brother Veld's integrity..." She took a deep breath. "Then shoot me."

"Meia!" Reno shouted. "Don't be an ass!"

Rude, on the other hand, regained composure and pulled back Reno slightly. He recognised the look in the girl's eyes. The very same look of pure confidence and determination to prevail. The gaze that unsettled Rude very much when he first met Meia in the dingy Sector 4 streets.

Tseng saw the same steel determination in her look, though he also noticed the ever-so-slight trembling and the large gulp in her throat. Finally, he uncocked the gun and returned it to her.

"Tseng..." Meia said happily. She heaved a sigh of relief. That was when her legs turned into jelly and she fell onto the floor.

"Meia!" Reno exclaimed, running over to check if she was alright. He used his shirt to mop the cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, not caring if his already untidy uniform was dirtied. "Please don't do stupid things like this anymore." He murmured.

"It is decided then, once everyone agrees." Tseng turned to Rude. "We will stand by Veld."

Reno paused and said quietly. "The company's not gonna like that, yo."

Tseng responded in a tone that matched Reno's. "Our lives are probably forfeit."

Reno lifted Meia up on her feet and shrugged. "We knew that from the start."

"Our lives were always hanging on the edge." Rude added. "Nothing's changed this time around." He added nonchalantly.

Meia beamed at the people around her. "We're Turks. We can pull through." She drew a sigh of relief as she realised that she was finally doing something that didn't conflict with her morals. "I've finally found my reason for being here with you all."

"What, now?" Reno frowned. "Talk about being slow." He clicked his tongue at her and tapped the EMR on his back leisurely. "It's not like I don't get what you mean, though..." He grinned at her. "I feel the same way."

The bald Turk nodded. "... Me too."

Tseng stuck his hands into his pocket and gazed out of the window, wondering what trouble he had gotten everyone into. "We won't be able to turn back after this."

"Don't worry, sir." Meia said confidently. "We aren't going to change our minds. We're going to save Veld and Elfé..." She nodded. "The both of them." She looked at Tseng. "Shall I get the rest of the Turks here?"

Tseng nodded but as Meia walked towards the door, he called her. When Meia turned around, he hesitated, but eventually said with an unnatural tone, "Thank you for believing in Veld." He said. "Your child-like faith might be the key to save him." He glanced at Reno and Rude. "Or us all."

Meia raised an eyebrow at Tseng. "Seriously... Tseng. Be your cold, unfeeling self." She grinned cheekily. "This... grateful... poetic side of you is quite unnerving to see." She left the room with Reno laughing his head off at Tseng.

* * *

><p>President Shinra slammed the phone with fury. <em>How dare they! <em>He fumed. _The Turks have found Veld a long time ago but not only did they not kill him, they've kept his existence a secret from me! _

"Damn those Turks!" He cursed, then he took a deep breath. His personal doctor had told him that if he were to regulate his stress and anxiety well, he can prolong his life for another ten more years. President Shinra took the doctor's advice seriously. He wasn't ready to give his company to anybody yet.

_If Rufus wasn't in their hands… I can't let Scarlet or the others know his whereabouts either._ President Shinra tapped his chubby fingers against the fine-grained mahogany table impatiently. Then an idea came over him. _That's it… I'll give Scarlet the order to assassinate the Turks. With them gone, any intelligence compromises would also be taken care of. And then I can get Rufus back. I don't know how, but I just will. _Shinra laughed menancingly._ This is perfect. _

He pressed the intercom button and asked for Scarlet on the line. Once he heard her screechy voice answering the call, he said. "Scarlet, I'm giving you full authorization to use any means at your disposal. I want the Turks – all of them – dead."


	55. Zirconiade

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 55 – Zirconiade**

11 February, 0007

A low buzz of chatter and discussion filled the Turk Lounge. Everyone, except Cissnei, were present and ready for Haato to update his recent missions.

"Where's Cissnei?" Asked Jasper, looking around for the wavy-haired redhead.

"She's in Gongaga." Answered Kido.

"Gongaga?" Rod raised an eyebrow at the double-gun Turk. "Isn't that Zack Fair's hometown?"

"I believe she said that she'll ambush him if he returns to visit his family." KK added for Kido.

"Idiot Cissnei." Rod frowned. "Any fugitive will know better than to return to his hometown."

"What I want to know," Said Reno in a very annoyed tone. "Is why is _this guy_ here?" Reno jerked a thumb at a man two chairs away from him. "He's from AVALANCHE!"

"Used to." Said Shears quietly. "Fuhito has no need for me so-"

"So you decided to rely on the Turks for support?" Shot back Reno nastily. Meia frowned at Reno. However true the fact that Shears was from AVALANCHE, he certainly didn't deserve the treatment from Reno.

"Please keep quiet, Reno." Requested Alana politely. "Tseng is about to begin." Meia saw Haato mouthing to Reno that he'd explain later.

"Thank you for being on time today." Began Tseng. "I'm going to try and make this simple and concise, so try to catch up."

He nodded for Meia to draw the curtains. Meia was glad that from the beginning of his office, Veld insisted this routine whenever the Turks held meetings in the lounge. Indeed, whatever that they are discussing later are classified and never to be exposed to anyone outside the Turks.

"Secure!" Meia announced.

Tseng nodded and turned to his colleagues again. "It has been around two months since we had a general meeting. We'll begin with a short recap. In October, SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair and infantryman Cloud Strife escaped from the Nibelheim facility. We haven't been able to find him since, and we're still on the search for him. I've reallocated ourselves so that we can focus on our work better." Tseng passed a stack of handouts to Leia, who distributed to the rest of the Turks quickly. "Reno, Rude, Alana, Kido, Rod, Cassie, Cissnei and myself will be working on capturing Zack Fair."

"Yes, sir." Answered Alana.

"Sir, regarding the two of them…" Asked KK. "What will happen to them if we managed to catch them?"

Tseng regarded KK with an emotionless look. "It is not our decision, nor our suggestion, to determine their fate." He said.

"But-"

"We will capture them." Said Tseng with a final tone. "But we shall keep them with us till we know what is favourable for them… and for us."

Meia widened her eyes. "Tseng, are you saying that… you will help them?"

"Nothing that we've discussed regarding them will be effective until we capture them." Tseng answered. "Which will be the main priority of the Turks as far as Shinra is concerned." He gave them a leveled stare. "Are there anymore questions?" When no one replied, he continued. "Regarding Veld…" Tseng lowered his voice slightly. "There has been some development, in which Haato will take over."

"Alright. So just yesterday, actually," Haato said, standing up to take over. "Reeve Tuesti, from Urban Development… well… more like the robotic cat he brought, Cait Sith-"

There was a loud knock on the door, and the Turks fell into complete silence. Tseng stood up and nodding at them, walked towards the door and opened it.

Meia squealed in delight when she saw a grey-and-white cat bound inside the room. "Kitty!" She beamed.

"I appreciate it, pretty, if you don't call me 'kitty'!" The cat beamed back, adjusting its red cape and crown. It chuckled when it saw Meia's delight turned into horror. "Don't be alarmed that I can speak, Cait Sith is the name that you seek!"

"Is this is the robotic cat that is controlled by Mr. Reeve Tuesti?" Asked Alana to Haato.

"Indeed." Haato said, smiling and reaching his hand towards the cat. "I didn't think that you'll be joining us."

"Of course I'll participate!" Cait Sith pranced towards Haato, standing beside him. "I can't stand around being controlled by fate!"

"Argh, a freaking cat that talks in lousy rhymes." Groaned Reno. "I must be having a hangover."

The next thing that happened was completely unexpected. There was a loud feedback and everyone jumped as they heard Cait Sith's roar amplified.

"What the bejeezus was that?" Cursed Rod, rubbing his ears. Meia unblocked her ears, allowing the ringing sound to dissipate. She saw the robot laughing at the reaction of the Turks.

"That is an experiment that I'm conducting here and there." Explained Cait Sith, waving a megaphone. "It seems to me that I'm at a disadvantage if I'm not battle-ready, so I'm improving myself to prevent being caught off-guard in someplace shady."

Meia giggled. Rod stared at Meia. "C'mon, Meia! You, of all people, find his lame rhymes _funny_?"

"But… but it is!" She managed to say between her laughter.

"Looks good." Commented Haato, peering at the megaphone.

"That's not all! Reeve is making me a giant transport, which also acts like a big fort." Explained Cait Sith. "So I can fight by giving commands through my megaphone, and the robot will fight for me till dawn!"

"Is there… a need to speak in rhymes?" Asked KK sheepishly.

Cait Sith looked put out. "I can speak perfectly well without rhymes. I don't talk in rhymes normally, only when I feel like it." It said sadly.

Feeling compassion for the adorable robot, Meia cooed. "I think it's lovely."

Rod narrowed his eyes at Meia. "Seriously… Disappointing." He shook his head. "I expected better from you, the knowledgeable one."

"S-Sorry!" Meia grinned. "Cait Sith is such an interesting character!"

"I hate to interrupt," Interrupted Leia, her beautiful face furrowed. "But we're running out of time here. Could we get on with the discussion earlier?"

"Indeed." Agreed Tseng with an equally serious tone.

Haato gently nudged the robotic cat into a seat and continued. "Let me summarise quickly. We've found the last Materia in Gongaga, and faced AVALANCHE Ravens who stole it from us. Luckily for Shears, who appeared with Veld, we are able to obtain the Materia." Haato lifted the shiny orb for all to see. "Veld saved Shears in the Corel Reactor. And seeing that they have the same goal to save Elfe, Shears is now working with Veld."

Meia smiled at Shears. Despite their previous encounter, Meia was glad that Shears will be allying the Turks, even if it's temporary. Shears' fighting ability was not something that anyone can easily outmatch.

"So two Materia are in our possession…" Summarised Alana. "We have one more Materia to find and one is in the hands of AVALANCHE."

"I've got a stupid question." Asked KK, a little embarrassed. Haato nodded for her to continue. "After we get the four Materia… then what?"

Cassie laughed. "Trust KK to be so blunt! But I'm thinking the same thing too!" She grinned.

Shears stood up and stared at Cassie sternly. "It's not so funny, once I tell you what will happen." He gulped, bracing himself for the explanation. "We all know that Elfe has a Materia on the back of her hand, right?" The Turks nodded. "It is the one responsible for her inhuman strength and prowess, but also the reason to her failing health."

_That definitely explains why she has been so formidable._ Thought Meia. _She could jump out of a window to catch me, she was even on par with Sephiroth…_

"However, the true purpose of Elfe's Materia… is to summon the inevitable – Zirconiade."

As if on cue, most of the Turks turned to Meia. Realising that everyone was staring at her, she pulled her lips into a thin line. "Come on, I'm not a walking encyclopedia!" She complained. "Though I DO know what it is… it isn't pretty." She pursed her lips, recalling easily the details of the ancient being in one of her books. "According to one of the books I've read… Zirconiade is a summon. Not like the summons that helps us. This is a summon that has destructive powers and is wired up to do so."

"Zirconiade, the one who brings the earth asunder." Haato added gravely.

Tseng stared at Haato. "Therefore, you're saying that once this being is summoned, everything in this Planet will perish, without fail."

Shears nodded at Tseng's conclusion. "Zirconiade has been Fuhito's plan all along. He wants to destroy everything and return them to the Planet… Zirconiade is the answer."

"That guy is seriously twisted." Meia heard Mason say with much emotion.

"Ideally, Elfe's Materia should be capable of summoning Zirconiade by itself." Said Shears. "However, Elfe's Materia is imperfect, so it drains her life as a way to survive."

"Our plan is to collect those 4 special Materia, called Support Materia," Added Haato. "So that it can compensate Elfe's Materia and summon Zirconiade." Haato gestured slowly with his explanation.

"Are you crazy?" Shouted Rod. "Why are we going to get ourselves killed so that a girl can survive?" Shears shot the redhead Turk a deathly glare.

"Be patient!" Said Leia crossly, frowning at the sudden influx of information.

Haato motioned Rod to sit down. "If we use the 4 Support Materia to summon Zirconiade, it will too, not be in its perfect form." He snapped and grinned. "THAT will be the cue for us to come in."

Meia stared at Haato. "You are joking." She deadpanned.

Rude rubbed the bridge of his nose, finding words to summarise what Haato said. "… You want us to gather the 4 Support Materia so that the imperfect Materia in Elfe can summon an imperfect Zirconiade-"

"That might, I don't know," Reno shrugged sarcastically. "Somehow be weak enough for us to defeat?"

"Seems like the plan." Kido nodded.

"The craziest plan ever." Cassie grinned. She jumped from her seat and hooted loudly. "This may be the best challenge I've faced in a long time!" She said, stretching herself.

"Crazy indeed," Said Leia. "But I can't think of a better way to resolve this issue. I think we could give it a shot."

"You guys are nuts." Katherine stared at Shears and Haato. "Absolute cuckoo."

Meia shook her head. "The plan is simply too impossible!"

"Ah, ah, ah~" Said Reno, wagging a finger at her. "You know what we say around here. Nothing is too impossible for the Turks!"

"Indeed!" Jasper chipped in, with shiny, enthusiastic eyes. "I say we go ahead with the plan! Wing it!"

Alana narrowed her eyes at Jasper. "Turks do not 'wing it'. We do our jobs and ensure that we succeed, at all costs."

Mason looked at Tseng. "So, boss. What's the plan from here?"

Tseng nodded. "The remaining Turks, that is, Jasper, Meia, Haato, Leia, Mason and Katherine, will focus on this." He stared at Shears. "You'll be helping them." Shears nodded and grinned that he will do his best.

"Hey, what about me?" Legend frowned at Tseng. "I hate to sound like an overly-enthusiastic child, but I haven't been given much to do, you know."

"I understand. Officially, you're not on task. I do need you to work with Shears to run undercover and find Veld." Tseng cleared his throat. "You are the least noticed Turk in the entire department, you and Meia." He nodded at a grinning Meia. "You'll work with Shears to ensure that we can be in contact with Veld, and vice versa, as and when it's needed."

"No problem." Legend gave a thumbs-up. "Problem is… I've no idea where to find him."

"Shears might give you more information on that." Tseng stared around his Turks. "Are there any more questions? If not, we'll end for today."

Meia stood up and stretched herself. It was a long meeting and she was ready to return to her desk to work again. She was ready to leave the room when she heard Cait Sith call for her. When she turned to face the cat, Cait Sith said humbly. "Thank you, pretty, for not making fun of my duty."

"Duty?" Asked Meia, frowning.

"I am but a fortune telling cat, though I've been used many times to spy for this and that." Cait Sith nodded. "For not mocking at my situation, I will charge you nothing for this divination."

Meia cocked her head and nodded slowly. With a light jump, Cait Sith pranced around and did cartwheels. She smiled at how adorable his fortune-telling dance was and wondered what kind of magic is it that will produce the foresight of others' destiny. Finally, Cait Sith nodded excitedly at Meia. Then it pulled out a slip of paper from its pocket and read it.

_He… He carries fortune slips around just like that? _Meia thought, amused. _Can't say that it's gonna be accurate, can I?_

"Aha! As with all my fortunes previously, this one is very easy!" Cait Sith beamed and passed Meia the paper.

Meia read the printed words on the paper. "Lady Luck is on your side, for you shall soon become a bride!" Meia couldn't help it. She chortled at his words. "Oh Cait Sith!" She laughed. "I appreciate your fortune telling, really! But…" She smiled as she thought of her circumstances. "I doubt that anything like that is going to happen for some time."

"But… But you will become a bride!" Cait Sith insisted. "That's what my fortune describes!"

_Sure I'll become a bride. _Meia smiled to herself. _Most girls will become brides, won't they? Still, I can't break the poor thing's heart… Not when he's so sincere._

She bent down and patted the cat's head. "Thank you, Cait Sith." She smiled. "I'll be sure to look out for a beau. I hope that I'll become a bride soon too! Thank you for the wonderful divination."

Cait Sith beamed at her thanks. "Thank you for believing my divination, even though I could tell you don't trust it…" It dropped its rhymes and said awkwardly. "Let me perform another one for you!"

"You really don't have to-" Meia tried to explain but Cait Sith was shuffling and dancing again. _Oh well._ She smiled to herself.

At last, the robot pulled another slip of paper from its pocket. "Here you go!" It said enthusiastically.

Meia took the slip of paper and read it. "Fortunes smile upon your face, you'll encounter many saving grace. All these will happen before you die, but only if you are prepared to say goodbye…" Meia raised her eyebrows and felt a chill run down her spine.

"Oh dear!" Cait Sith exclaimed. "That's not a good-sounding fortune!" It snatched back the slip of paper. "I must do it again!"

"Oh no, you don't have to!" Meia laughed. "I will be careful!"

Cait Sith blinked at Meia. "I have never received that kind of fortune before." It admitted. "I don't like the sound of it."

"Don't worry, kitty!" Meia grinned. "I'll handle anything that comes my way!"

Seemingly appeased by her assurance, the robotic cat nodded. "Well then, I best make my move!" Cait Sith made a small bow to Meia.

As it ran towards Haato, Meia thought of its sentences. "Fortunes smile upon my face, I'll encounter many saving grace…" She murmured. "All these will happen before I die, but only if I'm prepared to say goodbye." She clutched her heart. "Did Cait Sith just… Does that mean that I'm…"

_Going to die?_

(A/N: Before you continue, make sure you reread this scene again and make sure that you understand what's happening, alright? The above is the main crux of what Before Crisis is all about! I'm talking about the Elfe's Materia and Zirconiade part… you'll be seeing me talk about Zirconiade a lot more in a few chapters' time so be well-versed!)

* * *

><p>13 February 0007<p>

Meia Etsky tried not to be affected by Cait Sith's divination. It indeed seemed ominous, but Meia could make neither head nor tail of its enigmatic words.

Meia smiled to herself as she spotted Haato at the balcony. He stared ahead of him, with a look full of boredom. Over the years, the long and ugly scar on his face healed more, it looked lighter than when Meia first met him. She remembered her first encounter with him, sitting by the table with his legs propped up and teasing Alana about not getting laid. The light-hearted Turk now looked a mixture of apprehensiveness and resignation.

"Sneaking up on people is a bad thing." Haato said lightly before Meia could even make a move.

_Ever so sharp._ Meia thought, smiling. _He isn't a Turk for nothing._

"Why aren't you inside?" She asked, slipping herself to stand next to the katana-Turk.

"Because I don't want her to be uncomfortable." He answered, cocking his head towards the lounge.

Meia turned behind and spotted Leia sitting with Cassie and Mason, drinking coffee. "Ah… She is avoiding you?" She frowned. "That doesn't sound like Leia at all."

"Amazingly, this is the only area in her life that she probably isn't efficient about." The senior groaned and ran his fingers through his hair frustratedly. "She simply refuses to acknowledge my feelings, after telling her so many times that I'm not joking, I'm not being an idiot. And the worst thing is? I am so sure that she likes me."

The little Turk smiled. "I wish you all the luck you can get, Haato." She said. "Maybe you'll need to give her some time." Meia stared out of the balcony and down at the Midgar city below. "At least, for Reno and I… time is what we need… and have been giving each other." She muttered under her breath. "Perhaps far too long…"

"Waiting for him too long might lead to heartbreak and resignation." Advised Haato.

"All the time that I've waited for him to realize my feelings for him…" Meia said softly. "Gosh, it's been such a long time… I've had a crush on him since I was 13 or 14…"

"Seven years?" Haato stared at her incredulously. "Welcome to the club, though mine is probably longer." He patted her back comfortingly. "And Reno only realized your feelings years back, huh?" Haato shook his head, sighing. "What a waste of time you've spent."

Meia giggled. "You know what? I don't find it a waste." When Haato threw her a disbelieving look, she elaborated. "If anything, this past 7 years have been nothing but a confirmation that Reno is the only one I want. Yeah, he has been an idiot, running away and being foolish…" She smiled and pressed her cool hands against her warm cheeks. "But I like how human he is… It's something that a lot of us Turks struggled to hide, most with success… But we shouldn't pretend that we are heartless anymore." She gripped the railing tightly. "We should remind Shinra…" Her voice softened. "Tell the world that deep inside, we are human beings and we feel their hurt too."

"… You've really grown a lot, Meia." Haato said, his voice almost filled with pride. "Despite you being like a kid here and there, you've become more mature." He grinned. "You used to be so indignant whenever we tease you about behaving younger than you look."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Meia asked. Haato nodded and she whispered. "Back then I was a child at heart, even if I was in an older body. Now… I know I'm behaving like a child."

"You do?"

"Yeah. But I still do it nevertheless, behave like a child, that is." Meia stretched herself and smiled at the setting sun. "When I behave like a child, I feel lighter in my soul. It… it helps me to forget the heavy burden I carry as a Turk." Meia shrugged. "It's just wistful thinking, but I hope that even when the world is shrouded with darkness… I can retain my child-like faith that there is good in everyone."

Haato snorted. "Still believing that?"

"Yeah. As a child it was easy to believe earnestly that the world is a good place. Now that I know more things and events… It's getting harder to believe so." Meia said sadly. "But I'm still holding on, believing foolishly that everything will be alright."

Haato ruffled Meia's hair lightly, feeling a rare surge of brotherly affection for the girl who (as what she claimed) foolishly believed that the world will be a better place. "I hope, for your sake, ours and the Planet's, that everything will become a happy ending." He smiled. He stared at Meia. "Did you come here on purpose, giving me that soppy story about you and Reno to make me feel better?"

Meia looked horrified. "Of course not!" She shook her head dramatically. "I came to you because I needed a listening ear about my problems with Reno!" She grinned. "I really appreciate your attentiveness, it really made me feel better!" She threw her arms around the katana-Turk and squeezed his torso tightly. "Thank you!"

_What a bad liar._ Haato smirked to himself. Knocking her head playfully, Haato grinned. "Well, what can I say? My weakness is beautiful women. It is my duty to ensure that no beauty shall cry in my presence."

Meia released her embrace, shaking her head slowly. "Ever the glib-tongue." She smiled.

* * *

><p>Time flew by quickly after the little talk that Haato and Meia had in the Turks Lounge. Seven months have passed since then. In that span of that seven months, the search for the last Materia to help Elfe ensued with no success. AVALANCHE was quiet, much to the relief of the Turks. The Turks instead focused their energy on their search for the ever-elusive Zack Fair and the infantryman, Cloud Strife.<p>

Unknown to the Turks (and especially to Rod, who swore that a fugitive would be an idiot to return to his hometown), Cissnei did meet Zack Fair in Gongaga, and allowed him to escape from her hands again. Apart from one encounter between Cissnei and Zack in Gongaga, no Turk has seen Zack Fair face to face since the Nibelheim incident. Cissnei kept her secret about Zack, confiding later only to Meia. She couldn't bring herself to reveal to anyone else the truth of his whereabouts… and Meia just happened to be there in Cissnei's moment of weakness.

Meanwhile, after the incident in Gongaga, Zack Fair successfully found rogue-SOLDIER First Class Genesis Rhapsodos in Banora. There he succeeded in defeating the degenerated man and left him there to die peacefully… or so he thought.

Many months were spent trying to find the two research samples. Zack Fair proved to be a fine product of Shinra's SOLDIER programme, because he single-handedly fought many Shinra soldiers. He would've probably killed them all, if it wasn't for Alana and Rude intervening. Over the helicopter, they assured Zack Fair that if he were to surrender, they would guarantee his life. Alana would never forget what was Zack's reply: "I don't need an assurance on my life. What I want… is freedom."

Tseng tried, on many occasions, to convince Heidegger not to order his army to kill the research samples on sight. The Turks all knew how hard he tried. However, when the head of Public Safety was too stubborn to allow his pride be seconded to saving a man's life, the Turks knew that they were fighting against Time, and time too little.

Finally, in the last lap of September 0007, the events (that we know so well) unfold…

* * *

><p>26 September 0007<p>

Meia watched Cissnei, standing afar with a distant look in her face. "Cissnei?"

"Mm?" Replied Cissnei, almost absent-mindedly.

"I'm counting on you to find Brother Zack." Said Meia quietly.

Cissnei turned to Meia and smiled. "I'll do my best." She assured the girl, patting her head. "When he's back, maybe we can go and play again sometime, to Costa del Sol or something."

Meia stared up at the sky, a dark, ominous green. She tugged her pigtails worriedly, till Cissnei placed a hand on her shoulder and assured her that with half the Turk team out to find Zack, the success rate will be flawless.

As the chopper revved up, they heard a voice behind them. "Cissnei!"

Meia turned and saw Tseng walking towards her. He didn't acknowledge Meia, since she was only here to see Cissnei off. "The army's mobilizing. Find the targets before they do." He instructed with a frown.

"Understood." Cissnei nodded with a smile. "The army won't be as subtle." She turned to walk away but Tseng called her again.

"I want them alive, you hear me?" He demanded.

Cissnei stopped and Meia stared at her. In that brief moment, Cissnei looked as if she softened. Meia wondered why Cissnei carried a different, almost compassionate, air as compared to her usual missions.

Tseng continued. "You're going to save Zack's life."

When Cissnei turned, she had a small smile. "Of course!" She said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I haven't even told him my real name." She said softly.

_Real name?_ Meia widened her eyes. Before she could ask, Cissnei turned and walked off but Meia caught a glint of emotion behind her copper-like eyes. _Cissnei… _She thought._ You really treated Zack Fair as a good friend, don't you? He probably was the only friend you had outside the Turks… you WILL find him with more enthusiasm than the others._

Beside her, she heard Tseng say in an almost regretful voice. "Help them, Cissnei… I have letters for Zack… 88 of them."

* * *

><p>The next batch of Turks who left after Cissnei was Tseng and Kido, Cassie and Rod, Reno and Rude in three separate helicopters.<p>

"Leader has this serious look on his face once again, yo?" Reno drawled with a smile.

Rod frowned. "We've rescued them [from being killed by Sephiroth] five years ago, but they want us to capture them this time, huh?"

"What a fate." Alana deadpanned.

Kido stuck his hands in his pocket and said, "If you think about it, how pitiful of them."

"It makes me want to sympathise them." Mason added.

Meia stared at them in surprise. _How could they say such words?_ She thought. _Everyone knows that Zack and Cloud were saved from death in Nibelheim, but they were kept as experiments! Why are they so-_

She felt a soft nudge from her left. She looked at Rude, who shook his head. That was when she realized that there were other Shinra infantrymen standing by the helicopter. _No wonder everyone is behaving so apathetically. _She realized with relief. _There are non-Turks around. We aren't supposed to be compassionate and most of all, we are still under the guise of being faithful to the orders of Shinra._

"Wow, you guys are sure nice." Cassie said sarcastically. Meia knew her implications – Cassie was trying to tell them to leave their emotions aside and focus on the task at hand. Of course, these are for the ears of those who were not Turks. The Turks obviously knew that their emotions and morals are left behind every time they work.

Reno chipped in, agreeing. "Whatever the mission may be, we will carry it out, because we are the Turks." He grinned.

Everyone looked at Tseng, who merely said, "Let's go."

Meia saw Cassie stick out her tongue at Rod, who glared back at her in response. She sighed. Even with the arduous task in front of them that required them to stay awake for as long as they can till they find Zack, they could still behave light-heartedly.

Meia and Mason waved at the departing helicopters till they could see them no more. "Let's go back, Mason." Meia said quietly and Mason agreed. From months back, all of them felt a change in attitude towards the Turks from generally everyone in the company. They found their safe haven in their Turk floors, elusive even though it was located in the Shinra Building itself.

Meia and Mason returned to the Turk Floors, particularly to wake KK up. It was time for her to take over Jasper's shift of monitoring Rufus Shinra.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading. The rest of my rantings are found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com<p> 


	56. Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 56 – Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class**

Everyone was racing against time to find the SOLDIER that was involved in the Nibelheim incident. This time, it was not to silence them and stop them from any information leak. The Turks genuinely want to capture them… to save them.

A sole helicopter flew across the sandy deserts right outside the Gold Saucer. The heat was sweltering, but it was not the reason behind Reno's frustration.

"In this wasteland…" He cocked his head to look out of the window and sighed. "It's impossible to find those two." He complained for the third time the past hour.

Rude frowned at Reno's complaints, for they hadn't ceased since they began their search. He said to his redhead partner, "There's no mission that's impossible for the-"

"Turks, yeah, yeah." Reno faced him to finish his partner's mantra. Everyone knew the Turk mantra by heart.

They both fell into silence and faced front again. Rude spoke again after a while. "Also, Tseng apparently has something to give him."

"To the target?"

"Mm."

Reno gave Rude an annoyed look. That was one of the things that ticked him off the most. A failed postman's job that was delayed for a year ended up in a stash of letters for Zack Fair, now sitting in Tseng's office. "So we're couriers now, delivering packages to fugitives." He stated blankly and gave a laugh of dry disgust. From the top-notch, under-the-counter executionists of Shinra, have they fallen their ranks to mere messenger boys?

They continued sitting in silence until they received a radio signal. Both of them pressed their earpieces against their ear, trying to hear the incoming message above the radio static.

Cissnei's voice was heard through the earpiece. "Reno, Rude, how's the situation?"

"Absolutely nothing, yo." Reno placed his hand back on the helicopter control and focused on piloting.

"How about you?" Asked Rude of Cissnei, who was also searching for Zack Fair in the same desert outside of the Gold Saucer.

"He's not here." Cissnei replied. "I'll be going to point 235. Reno, Rude, go to point 120."

Rude nodded to no one in particular. "Roger."

"Let's go, yo." Reno furrowed his brow and steered his helicopter to the newest location…

Approximately five hours away from Reno and Rude, Katherine stared anxiously out of the window and tried not to fiddle with her knives too much. Her anxiety was starting to give herself away.

"Don't be worried, Katherine." Said Kido solemnly. They were sitting at the back of the helicopter, trying to filter their conversation because of the Shinra infantryman piloting the helicopter in front. "The Turks have never failed in their missions before. We'll be able to capture the SOLDIER." He reasoned.

KK nodded. "I hope so." She turned back to stare outside the helicopter, into the inhabited area of Banora. _Zack… _

A thousand miles north of Banora, Tseng paced anxiously in the Turk office. On his desk laid a sealed box of letters. Tseng recognized the handwriting as Aerith's and contemplated informing Aerith about the situation.

_What are you doing? _Tseng chided himself. _This is not the time to worry about the Ancient. _He stared out of the window, for the first time making the closest he could to a prayer that everything will be alright…

Out in the snowy fields near Bone Village, Cassie's teeth chattered and her eyes were drooping from the lack of sleep, but she forced herself to stare into the blinding white snow for signs of the escapee.

"Everyone is out to search for Zack Fair." Said Rod to Cassie. "He better be worth the capture."

"Of course he is!" Cassie grinned. "No one would say 'no' to ensuring a handsome man's survival!" Rod made a disgusted sound at her and returned back to piloting, something that he offered to learn a few years back.

In Shinra headquarters, Meia stared outside the window. It was raining ominously over Midgar. She tugged her pigtails and shook her head to herself, returning back to her book._ I must stop worrying. Brother Zack will be fine. He'll come back and things will go back to normal again… Everything will be alright. _

However, things did not turn out the way Meia hoped. That's how life is sometimes…

Somewhere, just thirty miles outside Midgar, a man laid on the dirty sandfloor, breathing heavily. His last words to his best friend were, "My honour, my dreams… They're yours now."

* * *

><p>Aerith Gainsborough was tending to her flowers in the Sector 5 church when she heard it. The voice that spoke to her sometimes when she was alone. It accompanied her when she lost her mother, it told her to comfort Elmrya Gainsborough because someone dear to her has passed away.<p>

It started off as a nagging tug in her heart and Aerith dreaded that feeling. She often felt it whenever she walked past people in the slums. The tug of Death's approach on a person, or someone close to that person. The Planet often spoke in mysteries and metaphors. When Aerith was a child, her imaginative mind could interpret things easily. As she grew older, the words of the Planet only seemed more alien, though she could still hear the voices clearly.

She jumped when she felt the first drops of rain on the back of her pink dress, bought years ago but for no one to admire. She turned towards the ceiling, at the bright hole where someone years ago fell through and landed on her flowerbed. She walked closer to the bright light and thought about Zack Fair. It has been almost five years since he disappeared without a trace. Aerith was not a person who was brave enough to enquire his whereabouts, not when the information was found in Shinra, the last place that she wanted to go to.

_88 letters…_ She thought to herself. _Yet not one reply._ Aerith often doubted whether Zack Fair still remembered her. These were the things that the Planet was unable to tell her.

She often entertained herself with fantasies that Zack Fair would one day come back to her humble church and tell Aerith that amazing stories of how he was captured by the enemy for five years and how he finally managed to escape. Aerith smiled at her foolish dreams of how one day, Zack would confess that he only wanted to be with her. Before he disappeared, he often told her stories about the girls that he dated. Aerith listened willingly, though she also felt strange inside, like a wrenching feel at her heart. She dreaded that feeling as much as the Planet's voice when it tugs at her heart.

_Zack, where are you?_

The naggy feeling in her heart… and her sudden thoughts of Zack Fair…

Suddenly realizing what it meant, Aerith quickly folded her hands in prayer. _Please… Protect him. _She prayed earnestly. Not that the Planet was a deity who could answer prayers, but it was all Aerith had. _He is a good man, who doesn't deserve to die. _She stood, in the midst of the flowers, not minding if the rain was soaking her hair and her dress, in prayer.

Then, she gasped. For once in words that were as plain as day, in a humane tone unlike its being, the Planet spoke: _I'm sorry_.

* * *

><p>The news was something that couldn't be broken easily. After all, it was the first time in the history of Shinra that the Turks failed their mission. To the eyes of Shinra, the death of Zack Fair was equivalent to his capture, so the Turks' reputation of their capabilities was not damaged.<p>

To the Turks, however, it was the greatest humiliation… and sorrow.

In the Turk Lounge, Meia looked up at Reno and Rude with an expression full of disbelief. "… You're joking, right?" She said slowly, not allowing the news to digest smoothly in her brain. "I mean, it's just clothes on the floor."

Reno only stared at her, not knowing how to convince her that Zack Fair was indeed dead. Only Rude had enough sense to produce the proof. "Even though when we found him, it was a pile of clothes on the floor, the name tag labeled _inside _the uniform was indeed Zack Fair." Rude said, showing Meia the name that was labeled inside the SOLDIER First Class uniform. He breathed a long sigh. "Only Shinra SOLDIERS (and some Turks) knew how to find for the name tag." He stared at Meia. "Zack is dead."

"But it's impossible!" Meia cried, standing up from the armchair. "He's Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class! He single-handedly defeated Bahamut Fury, brought down the Wutai troops in Fort Tamblin, disposed all of Professor Hojo's escaped specimens without assistance… How could a SOLDIER First Class lose to mere human beings?" Meia threw her hands up in confusion. "The Shinra army weren't even Mako-enhanced!"

"We found a dozen of empty potions and used Phoenix Downs a short distance away." Reno finally answered. "… And we found a mass of Shinra uniforms as well. It must've been a long fight, Zack probably killed hundreds of infantrymen, sustaining himself with potions and Phoenix Downs before he…" Reno looked away.

"Zack is the top notch SOLDIER in Shinra." Meia tried to reason. "Unless the stupid experiments that Hojo has been conducting on Zack drained his energy or something!" She roared in frustration. How could the strongest man she ever knew, die in the simplest way possible?

"Meia…" Said Reno, watching her pace around the lounge furiously and finally settling back onto the armchair.

"To think…" She said softly. "To think I wanted to see him again. Tell him how sorry we- I am for being involved in his demise…" Finally, her eyes stung and her tears spilled onto her lap. "… Does everyone know about this already?"

"Most." Replied Rude.

"The rest are on their way back to HQ." Added Reno. "Well then, we're going to inform Jasper and Mason about this so…" He walked over and patted Meia gently. "Will you be alright?"

When Meia didn't respond, Reno shrugged and followed Rude out of the lounge. Even though his heart ached for her loss, he knew that there were things that a Turk would just have to get over. Death… Betrayal… Loss… Meia knew herself how she should handle these things. Reno cannot possibly be watching and protecting her forever.

Meia sat rooted in her armchair for almost two hours, hugging her knees and thinking many thoughts… Thoughts that were not for anyone to hear yet. When she heard the door open, she glanced up and stared face-to-face with Cissnei.

Cissnei looked like a wreck. Clearly she was caught in the downpour outside Midgar, but the sun that followed after dried her uniform a little. Her hair was also half-dry and Cissnei's beautiful face was pale and dull. Her usually-immaculate uniform was sandy and scratched, evidence of kneeling and a long walk to the Shinra Building. In her hands held Rekka, dull in appearance as if matching its owner's countenance.

The sensitive Meia would've understood everything in different circumstances. But being in sadness herself, Meia failed to be what Cissnei needed.

"Cissnei…" She said, feeling her teeth clench in anger. "When you've confided in me months ago that you've seen Zack in Nibelheim and allowed him to escape… I trusted you that you had a plan to save him!" Meia walked towards Cissnei and grabbed her by her arms. "If you had caught him then and brought him back here..." Meia yelled, fresh tears falling again. "Maybe he wouldn't have died!"

Meia's words hit Cissnei. The shruiken specialist bit her lip and struggled not to reply. Meia continued her ranting, blinded by her own grief. "Your loyalty for Shinra should NOT be for things like this! How could you let his death happen! Did you really want him to die for Shinra's sake?"

Cissnei shoved Meia roughly aside. "Don't talk to me as if you know everything about me!" She roared at the raven-haired girl. Cissnei's voice broke as she recalled the smiling dark-haired SOLDIER. "Don't say things as if you know how I feel…" She growled with raw emotion.

Her push woke Meia from her rage. That was when she noticed how haggard Cissnei looked, how her rough attitude barely concealed her sorrow at the loss of someone important to her. Meia gasped, staring at Cissnei as realization settled. "… Y… You loved him." Meia said softly, touching Cissnei's shoulder gently.

"How observant." Was the curt reply of the shuriken-Turk, cold and unfeeling like the first time she met her. Cissnei walked past her, not caring if her shoulder shoved the girl aside.

"Cissnei!" But Cissnei did not reply. Meia stared after her, clenching her fists tighter when she heard the quietest sob coming from the redhead as she briskly walked away.

* * *

><p>Meia stood by herself, cornered by some aggressive SOLDIERs.<p>

"Suddenly the high and mighty Turk not so good anymore, huh?" One of them taunted her, pushing her as he did so. "Where was your arrogance when Zack Fair died?"

Meia hugged herself, refusing to answer, refusing to even look at the disgusting SOLDIER in the eye. Her silence seemed to have irritated the SOLDIERs more.

"He's asking you a question, you slime!" Another SOLDIER roared. "Weren't you Turks all snooty about being the most capable and efficient group in Shinra?"

Meia gripped her arms tightly, hoping that soon their anger will ebb and they'll leave her alone. However, she wasn't so lucky.

"First the Turks lied to us about Zack's whereabouts." One of the Third Class SOLDIERs said. "You made us think that he was dead, when all the while he was alive." The others murmured in assent. "Now, knowing that Zack is dead because of the Turks' carelessness, you dare show your face on Floor 49?"

"…" Meia looked away.

"Still so arrogant in the face of threat!" The first SOLDIER who cornered her spat. "You will pay!" He raised his hand to strike her but Meia was faster than that. With a swift hand, she blocked the SOLDIER's attack and kicked him in the stomach.

"Why you-" The second SOLDIER began but that was as far as he could get. Meia rooted her right foot and delivered her favourite roundhouse kick at the SOLDIER's face. The helmet was flung out of the man's head and as the SOLDIER ran to pick up his fallen helmet, Meia turned her attention to the last SOLDIER.

The last SOLDIER raised his hands in surrender. "Whoa, hey now…"

"Aero." Meia said, her voice void of emotion.

Her spell was stronger than she thought. As soon as the word left her lips there was a gust of wind that knocked the three SOLDIERs sprawling on the floor.

"Oh Meia…" She heard Kunsel's voice. She looked up to see the SOLDIER Second Class standing a short distance away. "You could've just called me if you wanted to see me." He said softly.

Meia shook her head and walked towards Kunsel, not caring if she walked over the unconscious SOLDIER bodies. "Kunsel…" She said. With a soft sob, she hugged her old friend. "I'm sorry…" She murmured. "I wasn't truthful to you about Zack-"

Kunsel placed a hand on her shoulder and led her away from her damage. "Secrets shall remain as secrets." He assured her. "I don't know what were the Turks' involvement to Zack's capture for the last four years... I don't want to know." Kunsel spoke with a throbbing aura of grief and it hurt Meia to see him so. "Zack Fair died for real this time, it doesn't change anything."

"Kunsel..."

"It's not your fault." Kunsel smiled, though his chocolate brown eyes were not twinkling. "I knew that orders are orders. At least with the knowledge that he's dead, I can move on and be a good SOLDIER."

"… You're really strong." Meia held his hand tightly. "What will happen to SOLDIER from now?"

"No idea." Kunsel shrugged. "Some of us Second Class will take charge and ensure that we don't collapse or fall. SOLDIER will probably start training again."

Meia nodded. "You're right. We can't fail now. There are still many things to do..." Her thoughts trailed to the many private issues that the Turks are involved in.

"… Meia." Kunsel looked at her worriedly. "Day by day, you are changing." He reached for her cheek to wipe a stray tear that Meia didn't even know was there. "You're no longer the young, naive girl that I've first met in the gym."

Meia smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No..." He shook his head. "It's not. But I hope that as you continue to face more trials, you'll never lose that child-like faith you have in everyone."

Meia tensed at his words slightly. "What are you trying to say?"

The SOLDIER hid a smile at her sudden defensiveness. "THAT side of you barely changed." He chuckled. "Meia, don't be troubled by Zack's death and blame it on yourself. The life in your eyes... They're gone." He lamented, patting her head. "You've grown up and you're a beautiful woman now, Meia. But for the last few years you don't seem as alive as I remembered. Now you're dying more on the inside."

Pulling his touch aside, Meia mumbled. "I'm still the same."

"Recently, there's something in your heart, and it doesn't sound safe." Kunsel shook his head. "I hope you don't become someone you're not. I hope you don't lose the things that are important to you."

Meia stated at Kunsel with her heart pounding. She has never brought up her troubles to him, making sure that she kept up a strong front. However, Kunsel could always tell something was up with her. He wasn't wrong, there was something in her heart, it's just that...

"I... I can't tell you yet." Meia said softly. "I want Reno to be the first to know..."

* * *

><p>(A few days later...)<p>

_I can't believe it… he was so close to Midgar. _Meia thought to herself. She stared at the now empty spot, overlooking a cliff and the dark city of Midgar loomed just miles ahead.

"I know… None of us could believe it either." Reno said behind her, replying to the very same words in her head. Despite her massive amounts of thought activity inside her brain, Reno, over the years, sometimes knew exactly what were some of her thoughts at things like this.

Meia spun around and looked at the redhead sadly. Then she stared at the spot where Zack died. What should've been cakes of dried blood on the floor were washed away by the rain. Even his uniform, left behind as Zack's soul traveled to the Lifestream, was taken back by Shinra. There was nothing left, nothing at all.

"Wasn't Zack with an infantryman?" Meia pursed her lips, trying to remember any face of an infantryman found hanging out with Zack Fair but who was she kidding? "I've never seen Zack with any infantryman, actually." She admitted. "Any uniforms?"

"There were no signs of the other escapee. Not even a uniform."

Meia looked around for possible clues to who the other Nibelheim research sample may be, but the land was clearly empty. "Then… Then maybe he's alive." She said, not holding back the hopefulness in her tone. She sighed. "If only we knew that infantryman's name…"

Reno stepped forward and put an arm around Meia, to shield her from the sea breeze coming from the west. "I doubt he is." He said. "Zack didn't survive the waves of Shinra troops, much less a mere infantryman. Maybe he died and his remaining uniform was lost in the wind." He shrugged. "Even if he's alive now, we can't trace his name." He said. "Heidegger doesn't keep track of his army."

"You're joking." Meia made a face. "No records about who did what? Not even records stating which troops were delegated?" Reno shook his head. "Oh right. The infantryman has been removed from the system years ago, with Zack." Meia sighed. "We'll never be able to trace who that person is. One flaw about this company," She commented with a small grin. "Is that not everyone does things the way we Turks do."

"We're the best, no doubt." Reno smirked.

"It would be good…" Meia said again, staring at the vast plains of land ahead of her. "If we could find out whether that infantryman's even alive."

"Meia…" Reno said softly. "When you asked me if I could bring you to the place where here, I suppose you must have a good reason."

Meia glanced at Reno. "Well…" She said sheepishly. "There isn't a good reason per se." She said hesitatingly. "I just want to know where Zack died."

_Liar. _Reno thought, looking at how Meia's eyes shifted slightly as she said those words. Cissnei, the master of lie detection, taught him a few simple techniques and now he clearly saw that Meia was not telling the full truth. _Nevermind. _He decided. _She can't keep her thoughts from me for long._

Reno never expected that what was in Meia's heart was what he feared. The funny thing was that Reno never thought that he feared that possibility, that day, would come.

It was in the helicopter, merely 10 minutes away from the Shinra Building, that Meia spoke. "… Reno."

"Hm?"

Meia gulped, for what she was going to say will determine her actions in the future. "After this entire fiasco…" She stammered. She wished with all her strength that she didn't need to do this, but alas, her determination and dedication to Shinra was that weak. "After we find the last Materia for Elfe…" She looked at Reno. "I'm going to leave the Turks."

Reno stared at her briefly, but returned back to his controls. "No." He said simply.

"I'm not asking you for your permission." She frowned at the redhead.

"No."

"Reno!"

"Do you understand what you're saying? Meia?" Reno roared at her, slamming his fist at the dashboard.

Meia stared at Reno's sudden outburst. "I know-"

"No, I don't think you do," Retorted Reno. "You are trying to tell me, the one whom you (may I remind you) _begged_ that we bring you back to Shinra to be a Turk, that you intend to leave the Turks?" He swore as he quickly shifted his controls so that the helicopter was ready for landing. "The only way you leave the Turks is in a casket." He said nastily. "And, knowing how much of an asshole this company is, we probably won't be given a casket. Maybe our bodies will be thrown carelessly along the river or-"

"Reno." She interrupted him firmly. He stared in front of him, not looking at her but focusing on landing the helicopter instead. "I know."

The helicopter touched the helipad's velvety surface and its engine-powered roaring softened to a purr. Soon the helicopter was silent, but neither made a move to stand up. "… You rather die than to remain in the Turks." Reno stated with a dead voice.

"I'll not die." Meia said. "I'll… run away, or escape."

Reno faced Meia. "Many people tried to escape from Shinra. The Turks before us, Shinra SOLDIERS, Zack Fair… but none of them survived." He said slowly, hoping that the information will sink in her head. "The only people who are alive now are the Ancient and Veld. Even so," He said coldly, placing his hand on the directional stick. "They wouldn't stay free for long. No one escapes Shinra."

"That's not true!" Cried Meia. "Veld and Elfe will survive! Are you saying that you don't see any point in helping Veld to escape Shinra's detection?"

"That's not true!" Reno argued back. "Well…" He scratched his head as he realized his self-contradiction. "I _hope_ it's not true but… but what are the odds?" He said, staring out of the helicopter's windshield. "No one has ever escaped Shinra. We all hope that it's possible, but it hasn't been done before."

"I'll make it happen." Meia said firmly, but soon broke into a dry laugh. "It's funny that I'm saying all these, you're usually the one with the crazy ideas…" She looked at him suddenly, light showing her face as if illuminating an idea in her head. "Would you… Would you leave Shinra… with me?" She said hesitatingly but now that the question left her mouth, it seemed more realistic. "Yeah, Reno… Why don't you leave with me? There's no place in the Planet that's exciting without you." She said with shining eyes.

Reno stared at the girl and what she was offering. "You're crazy." He declared. "You need to stop hanging out with that SOLDIER boy."

Meia coloured. "Kunsel has nothing to do with-"

"All that shit about embracing dreams and honour," Reno deadpanned. "Leave it to the pretty boys and their empty heads to believe in."

Now Meia was pissed off. "Brother Zack died holding those beliefs in his heart!" She yelled at him, no longer in control of her emotions. "He died for his dreams to be free from Shinra!" She ranted. "There is nothing wrong in embracing dreams and holding on to honour!"

"Meia!" Reno barked back and Meia clamped her mouth shut. "They are SOLDIERs." He said softly. "We," He muttered, gripping the steering handles of the helicopter. "We are the Turks." Reno turned and stared at Meia, sending a chill down her spine. "We don't talk about dreams and honour… We have no dreams… no honour. Our honour comes from protecting Shinra. At. All. Costs." He emphasized the words slowly.

The helicopter was beginning to feel stuffy but the conversation atmosphere is tenser than the air inside the aerotransport. From the corner of his eye, he saw Meia in deep thought. It was only at this moment that Reno saw his greatest fear realized: Meia leaving him. Reno understood her pain and torture, yet this was not how one should behave. So utterly humane. Such feelings are abhorred in Shinra and treated with apathy. Sure, the SOLDIERs and the other employees are allowed to have their pretty dreams about honour and pride… but not a Turk.

Yet…

He wanted Meia to be free from Shinra, but all he presented to Meia was the simple truth: No one escapes from Shinra. Shinra will hound after you till the ends of the earth and into the Lifestream. Once you sign your life for Shinra, it belongs to Shinra. Reno cannot bear to let Meia go, not when it meant that her life would be in constant peril. He has to, needs to, keep her here in Shinra. Yes, she will be miserable, but at least she will be safe.

_Meia… _Reno thought. _Please change your mind about this. _

"Brother Reno…" Meia said softly. "I can't change otherwise."

That was when Reno realized he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Stay here." He urged again. "You'll be safe."

"I'll be miserable."

"But at least you're safe, and didn't you say that no place would be exciting without me?" Reno smiled at her.

For a moment, Meia smiled and Reno's heart lifted. But only too soon, because Meia shook her head. "I can't." She said again. "I won't tolerate this anymore."

That was it. Reno only had this much patience for people, even if it was to someone that he cared for. "Meia." He said with finality. "We are the Turks. We do things, we move on. We don't bring our emotional baggage with us." Reno frowned. "You won't be able to continue your job as a Turk if you have such lingering thoughts."

"Fine then." Meia replied stoically. "I can't be bothered with anything here now. My heart is not here anymore."

Reno reached out and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Not even… With me?" He asked softly.

"… Not when your heart's loyalty lies with Shinra."

Reno stared at Meia, wondering why his heart ached. "Whatever rocks your boat." Was Reno's cold reply before he stood up from the pilot's seat and alighted the helicopter, leaving Meia behind, feeling misunderstood and… apathetic.

* * *

><p>At long last, Crisis Core is over! What is remaining of my story (Part 1) is the plot of Before Crisis! But oh dear, what happened to Meia?<p>

Yes, the "Reno and Rude in the helicopter" scene and the Aerith scene is scripted from the actual Crisis Core game. For Reno and Rude, I've once again, adapted both the English and Japanese scripts to bring the best dialogue possible. I'm very proud of both scenes. I've been waiting for months to write out these two scenes. I absolutely love watching the Reno and Rude scene in Crisis Core. Seriously, with all due respect, Reno looks absolutely awesome in Advent Children (that is where I first started fangirling for him), but Reno in Crisis Core? He looks less feline and feminine (I thought so in Advent Children), more manly in CC. Excuse me while I squeal myself in fangirlishness.

I cried again, watching bits of the ending. Since the first playthrough, I've never watched the ending in its entirety. Seeing Zack's distant look in his blue eyes… telling Cloud to live… Gosh I can't take it. I feel very empty watching the ending. I had to force myself to watch the ending for the sake of this chapter. If not, I would much rather not watch it again!

So I've started writing this chapter in February, and look what month it is already! However, I was glad that I started early. The past ten weeks of internship gave me absolutely no chance of writing at all. I'm pretty worried that come end May (when I officially start work), this is the life that I'll be condemned to. I definitely want to finish "I Want To Be A Turk!" so… wish me all the luck, people!

Thank you for the lovely reviews, alerts and faves! Keep them coming!


	57. Vendetta

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 57 – Vendetta**

To Meia, the things that happened after Zack's death were mere images rather than events. She started to feel disconnected from the Turk happenings. Outwardly she was behaving normally (Reno and Kunsel knew better), inwardly she felt empty. Kunsel said nothing to Meia when she eventually revealed her plans. He didn't know how to handle the issue, his best friend after all just died while escaping Shinra. As for Reno, he no longer spoke to her about the issue, though Meia will never know how it troubled the redhead at the thought that Death loomed over Meia's future.

Shortly after the death of Zack Fair, Jasper found the last Materia needed to unlock Elfe's Materia. That meant that the Materia in AVALANCHE's possession was the one one to snitch. However, in that same mission, Jasper was kidnapped by Scarlet from the Weapons Department. In order to save him, Veld showed up and surrendered, exchanging Jasper's life for his own. Since then, Veld was in the hands of Shinra and Shinra, knowing that the Turks would fight hand and limb to search for their Commander, hid Veld. With Veld under Shinra's custody, President Shinra recently announced the execution of Veld to be on the 5th of October.

Meia played little part in these events. She no longer cared much about it.

The Turks were no longer as surprised by her behavior. They understood how broken and betrayed she felt by the company she worked for. They knew how day by day, Meia was disappointed by the things that are happening around her. There was nothing they could do to encourage her. They couldn't even get her enthusiastic about anything.

Meia did seem to look more focused at one point, though it wasn't for a good thing. Jasper asked her about a particular girl called Shalua Rui.

"Shalua… Rui?" Meia felt a chill down her back. There was only one person who had that last name… A girl whom she had not seen for the past 7 years.

"Yeah." Jasper scratched his head and tried to recall. "She had a real nasty vendetta against Shinra for taking someone away to be a SOLDIER candidate."

"… I know someone that might be related to her." Meia said sadly. She then began to narrate to Jasper how she met Shelke Rui, and admitted truthfully that she had disappeared years ago. Till now, no one knew of her whereabouts.

Jasper nodded. "Sounds tragic, if you were to ask me. I can imagine why Shalua wants to find… Meia? Where are you going?"

_How great._ Meia thought as she walked away from the nunchaku Turk. _One more person whose life I'm involved in. Soon someone will accuse me for the lives of Sunny, Tihan and Carmelle. _

She walked past a poster and did a double take to look at the Shinra logo emblazoned across the poster. _Shinra… _She thought, touching the glossy paper with sadness. _You gave me life… At the expense of many others…_

* * *

><p>4th October 0007<p>

There was a particular bar in the Wall Market that the Turks loved to frequent. It was the same bar where they abandoned a drunk Jasper behind years ago (A/N: Chapter 44), though over the years they've hardly gone to the bar together. The many events plus the recent news that the Turks were now considered enemies of Shinra didn't give them much time to unwind after a day's work.

Meia sat among her fellow Turks, drinking beer straight from the bottle. Around her, the Turks talked in low voices, but loud enough for everyone around the table to hear. Shears was also sitting with them, after returning to the headquarters with Jasper. Initially, Meia didn't know what to make of Shears' motive. Was he a spy or an ally? Eventually, her defences against the former field leader lowered when she saw his pure sincerity behind saving Elfe.

"Aren't you underage, little frog?" Teased Shears. That was the nickname he gave her when he recognized her as the Turk who confronted AVALANCHE alone in Kalm years ago (A/N: Chapter 27).

"I'm going to be 20 this year." Grumbled Meia. "I've been of age since two years ago."

Shears sighed and didn't probe further. Like the other Turks, he noticed her significant personality change when he saw her again. He didn't know what caused the initially cheerful-even-in-the-face-of-adversity Meia to become such. However, Shears knew his place than to ask the other Turks. It was not his business to enquire about their personal lives.

Meia's ears picked up the sounds of the door opening, though she did not immediately look up to see who it was.

"Boss! I left something behind again!" The newcomer greeted with a cheerful, female voice.

Meia now lifted her head and looked at the owner of the voice… and stared hard at the girl. From her uniform, Meia saw that the girl was a high-school student, with her hair tied into two ponytails. Meia frowned. The girl looked uncannily familiar...

Finally realising that there were a huge group of Turks in the bar, the girl jumped. "Ah-! It's the Turks. W-Welcome, everyone."

_Huh._ Meia thought. _She's not shocked or afraid to see so many Turks in one place. Many people would've trembled at the thought, much less experience it. Calling the bartender 'boss', I suppose she work here._

"Oh," Said Cassie cheerfully, waving as she did so. "It's Elena."

"Elena?" Meia stared at the girl with interest. "She's Alana's sister?"

"That's right." Answered Haato. Meia stole a glance at Alana, who only sat there drinking her beer without the slightest acknowledgement that her sister stood in the same room.

Meia remembered that years back, Alana and her sister didn't get along well. _Looks like nothing changed about that._ She thought. _But they really look alike! Alana and Elena… _She smiled, now looking at Tseng, who looked at Elena but said nothing to her. _So THIS is Elena, the little girl who has a crush on Tseng._

Elena walked towards the bar counter, prompting Cassie to continue. "I heard that you'd already finished for the day."

"Y-Yeah." Replied Elena awkwardly. "I just dropped by to pick up something I left behind."

"You've forgotten something?" Cassie shook her head in a mock-disapproving tone. "Your sister would never do anything so scatterbrained."

"Hey Cassie," Quipped Shears, frowning. "Don't you think that was a bit too much?"

Meia peered at Elena, watching how the corners of her mouth tightened and how the girl took a deep breath. _Indeed. _Meia thought. _Elena doesn't like Alana. Cassie shouldn't have mentioned Alana at all, for whatever reason._

"What's wrong, Elena?" Cassie asked worriedly. "You're so quiet all of a sudden."

"Don't worry." Said Elena in a tense voice. "It's not like I'm planning to join the Turks." She grabbed her cell phone from behind the counter. "I certainly do not want to cause any of you trouble.

"Oh my," Said Cassie a little sheepishly now. "Did what I said upset you?" Rather than answering her question, Elena simply made her leave and walked out of the bar. "It's really a shame." Said Cassie. "Elena's always like this whenever we come here."

"You don't think it might be because of you?" Shears suggested.

Cassie snorted, throwing her hand in a melodramatic way. "That couldn't possibly be it!" She laughed. Shears stared at Alana incredulously. Alana simply shook her head and returned to her drink.

"Where are Reno and Rude, anyway?" Asked Jasper. "I won't believe it if you told me that they are taking a raincheck on drinking!"

"They are in the HQ." Replied Mason. "With Tseng. They are trying to access the database to find Veld's whereabouts."

"Hack the system, you mean." Rod grinned knowingly. "Too bad I know nuts about computers. Hacking sounds like something I'll totally do for a living."

* * *

><p>In Shinra's headquarters, Rude frowned at the computer in front of him. Tseng sat, typing many codes into the command dialogue. But all they had in return was an angry red dialogue box that denied them access.<p>

"Again…I've been kicked out again."

Reno drew a quick, frustrated sigh and leaned against his chair. "How many times is that, yo?" He complained to himself.

"That's not all." Tseng frowned at the computer. "Someone's been trying to directly access this terminal."

"… A jamming signal?" Asked Rude, leaning forward to take a closer look.

Reno swung himself forward as he saw what was happening on the computer. "Hey, the program's running itself!" He said in a half creeped-out tone.

Rude nodded slowly, watching how the machine did its operations. "It's a surveillance feed."

Tseng frowned. _Someone wants us to know where Veld is? _He immediately shook his head to himself. There wasn't anyone now that shared the same goals as they did.

"Who the hell's behind this?" Reno made a face at the computer.

Or maybe… _There's only one person capable of doing this. _

A voice suddenly came from the computer, making the three of them nearly jump out of their skins. "Hmph. It seems like you're having a hard time finding out where Veld is."

Reno widened his eyes and swore at the realisation that someone was trying to contact them through the database.

"We've got visual." Reported Rude.

A handsome face appeared on the screen and Tseng narrowed his eyes. "I knew it…" He said, in an almost unwelcoming tone.

"Hmph." Said Rufus with equal hostility.

"It was you…"

The Vice-President (still under home arrest and under the surveillance of the Turks) regarded the trio with mild interest. "Veld's execution is scheduled for noon tomorrow. Do you think you can save him?"

"We'll do everything we can." Tseng said firmly, placing his hands on the table to make his point.

Rufus yawned. "I've pinpointed the exact location he's being held." He said.

Tseng snapped his head at Rufus, surprised at what he was hearing.

"Seriously?" Asked Reno, barely concealing his hopefulness.

"That's the boss for you…" Rude shrugged, though he wouldn't deny that he felt hopeful. Perhaps Veld's fate could be amended…

"And I wouldn't mind telling you where he is, either." Rufus smirked.

Reno and Rude turned to Tseng, but the head barely noticed. _Can we trust him…? _Tseng frowned. Under monitoring, Rufus haven't made contact with AVALANCHE nor the Shinra staff for the past 4 years. Nevertheless, a Turk doesn't become careless with newly gained trust. Tseng stared at the image of Rufus, still waiting for his answer. _Still, he's the only probable chance we've got. _Tseng nodded at Rufus, indicating his interest.

"As you know, nothing comes without its price, however." The blond said drawled. Tseng levelled his gaze at the image, trying not to be affected by what he said. "The same goes for this information."

Beside him, Tseng heard Reno and Rude swearing under their breaths at the circumstances they were in. Whatever Rufus was intending to offer, was probably something that was unethical. Perhaps not even for his trustworthy men, Reno and Rude, to listen. Tseng gulped. For the leader whom he respected, Tseng was able to take the risk. "... What are your conditions?" He asked finally.

* * *

><p>The Turks in the bar slowly left one by one, until it was only Shears and Meia left.<p>

"Hey little frog," Said Shears in an almost affectionate tone. When Meia looked up to regard him, he placed a Materia in her hand. "This is for you to keep, for now."

On closer inspection, Meia realised that it was one of the Materia pieces needed to stop the embedded Materia in Elfe from draining her lifeforce. "No, I'm not supposed to be holding this!" She said quickly, returning it back to Shears.

The man grinned and pressed the Materia back into her hand. "I would like you to help me keep it for a while. I have the other one in my hand and it's hard to protect two Materia at the same time." He explained. "I'm not an educated person, but I can tell when one is not like herself. You look… You almost looked bored nowadays."

"I'm not-"

"Whatever it is, I'm just giving this to you to take care." He grinned. "Maybe the newfound responsibility is enough to motivate you to help me out with Elfe."

Meia stared at Shears. "… Thank you." She smiled. "Perhaps with something this important to do, I can do a better job than what I'm doing now."

Shears grinned and walked out of the bar, satisfied with what he had done. Meia stared at the glowing Materia in her hand. _I guess I can't mope around and be apathetic anymore. _She decided. _Not when Shears has placed his trust in me. I will help him look for Elfe. _

Except that what she planned wasn't going to be smooth-sailing. As soon as Meia stepped out of the bar, she ran into Shinra's army. Seeing that the soldiers were ordered to eliminate the Turks, Meia fought to keep herself alive. Though SOLDIER and Security were bent on killing all the Turks, the Turks were just as determined to stay alive until they'd rescued Veld.

Through a phonecall with Veld, Meia found out that Tseng, Reno and Rude have successfully located Veld and were on their way to rescue him. She offered to go along as well, but Tseng rejected her suggestion, giving her a task to secure a safe route for them when they return. With that, Meia decided to leave Elfe's whereabouts to Shears and made her way through the winding pavements.

Never had she been more grateful for her eidetic memory, for Meia spent little time weaving through the underground passages for the most efficient shortcut. Also, she thought about her friend, Aerith Gainsborough, who was also living in Sector 5.

_I hope Aerith is alright. _Meia thought. _Maybe I should've given her a heads-up… No, I'll endanger her more. _Meia could never truly prevent Shinra from disturbing the lives of the Midgar citizens, but at least she could try reducing them.

* * *

><p>Unknown to many Midgar citizens, just a few miles south of Midgar, was the Midgar trash heap. It is a large area hidden conspicuously among the mountains, miles west of Midgar. Heaps of debris stretched for miles, with a Shinra-managed underground facility that operated weekly.<p>

"We're here, yo." Reno said, walking around and looking at his surroundings.

Rude sniffed his sleeve. "It smells like shit." He said crudely.

"This is where Midgar's garbage is processed and disposed of." Explained Tseng, controlling his face from scrunching up from the stench. As the leader, he of all people, needed to look in control, even if he knew that circumstances were controlling _him_.

"And this is where they're keeping Veld, huh." Reno said, tapping his EMR by his shoulder. It stank, but none of them seemed to mind it so much to complain.

Reno was surprised to see that there was such a place that existed. Then again, he never bothered to ponder where his waste and rubbish went. The corridor was covered with algae and the floor was wet, though Reno definitely didn't want to know what they could be.

"You've got to admit, no one's going to poke around here in this stench." Rude tugged his gloves and stared around him. Where could they be hiding Veld?

Reno smirked. "It's the perfect place to hold someone you don't want found, alright."

"I don't like the idea that they're keeping the boss here with the trash, though."

"They're trying to say that traitors are as good as rubbish, I suppose." Tseng shrugged.

"Bastards…" Reno cursed, clenching his fists tightly.

Tseng straightened his collar. "Let's get him out of here as fast as we can." He ordered.

"Damn right." Said Reno, heading along the narrow corridor and leaving the two Turks behind.

* * *

><p>It was a lazy afternoon by the checkpoints. Diesel, a Shinra solider, yawned for the fifth time as he glanced at his partner, Quinn. "I'm bored."<p>

"Our shift's not over yet." Quinn pointed out.

The soldier gave a dissatisfied look. "What's the use of all these checks anyway? The only vehicles to pass through are all from Shinra." Diesel complained.

Quinn gave his friend a quick grin. "Yeah." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "The company trucks don't even get inspected."

The two soldiers continued their conversation, oblivious to the fact that just metres away, a little Turk hid behind a large piece of metal, listening intently. _So the only way out is in a Shinra truck._ Meia smiled to herself. _Guess I have no choice but to hijack one then!_

As she turned around and left the checkpoint where the two Shinra guards were, her PHS rang, a shrill screeching breaking the silence of the sleepy afternoon. Meia quickly hit the 'accept' button before it made the second ring. Running towards a more secluded area, she pressed the communication device against her ear. "Hello?" She whispered.

Tseng's voice filled her head from the phone. "Meia, what's your situation?"

"They've set up checkpoints at the city exits."Meia explained. "Only Shinra vehicles are being allowed through."

"Here's one!" She heard a soldier shout from behind her.

"Oh poopie." Meia groaned. The soldiers must've heard her PHS ring and decided to investigate. "I'll call you again, Tseng."

With that, she ran down the dirt path, running head on with a Moth Slasher. Scrunching her face with disgust, Meia placed the PHS into her breast pocket and pulled out her guns. The Moth Slasher moved awkwardly towards her, signs of defective manufacture showing in its broken hinges and rusty wheels. She pulled two shots at its tanks strapped behind the robots' back. The bullets made a clean hit at the tanks and soon oil burbled out, sloshing onto the floor like liquid tar. She kicked the Moth Slasher at its abdomen and the robot fell onto its own pool of oil. Meia pulled out her bracelet and jiggled it, conjuring the smallest spell for fire. Soon, the pool, where the oil was spilled, sprung into flames, engulfing the helpless robot.

Without even stopping to admire the damage she had done, Meia picked up her feet and tore down the alleys. Her energy was seeping and she felt tired after running and fighting for what seemed like hours. _I won't be able to make my escape as things stand._ She thought._ I'll have to take cover for a while. _

Meia glanced at the surroundings around her and her eyes fell upon a small house in front of her. Usually, she would hesitate and consider if entering a building would bring inconvenience to the Midgar citizens, but she didn't have time for that. Reasoning with herself that the door was open and that's why she'll barge in, Meia ran into the building and braced herself for anyone, or anything, that was inside. She gasped when she saw the person inside. "… Elena?" She said, a little hesitatingly.

Elena, still dressed in her school uniform, turned around and she took a defensive stance. "Who are… You're a Turk?" She frowned.

Not replying her question, Meia looked around her surroundings with interest. "Is this where you've been training?" Meia asked excitedly. The room was simply furnished. A desk and a computer sat by the corner, some crates, a punching bag and a dumbbell laid haphazardly around the room, but in the centre of it all, was a large sparring mat. Meia smiled at the place. It looked like somewhere she could be comfortable in... _And also a good hiding place for Elena, away from home._ She thought sadly.

"What are you doing here?" Growled the blonde. "This is my space!"

"Whoa!" Meia ran forward to keep her quiet. "Keep your voice down!"

Elena did, though she still gave Meia a wary look. "What's going on?"

"I'm being hunted. Look, I'm sorry I barged in on you, but please, let me stay here for a while!" Meia placed her hands together pleadingly. The both of them fell silent as they heard sounds of the Shinra guards running around, looking for Meia. Elena considered Meia's words, and then nodded. "… Thank you." Meia whispered.

"But I want you to get out as soon as they've gone away. I don't want you or anybody else here – this is my space." Elena said with an annoyed voice.

Meia cringed at Elena's harshness. She never knew that Elena was such a hot-tempered girl, Alana only described her sister as a girl who was sweet and cheerful to everyone... except her. "Sorry." Meia said. "Still... I don't understand what is your vendetta against us." Meia frowned.

"No reason." Elena said, staring at her rudely. "Do I have to have a reason?" She asked, folding her arms.

Meia felt a small tinge of irritation towards her. Being accustomed to adults around her, Meia felt impatient dealing with someone who looked like she was too immature to bother about Meia. Luckily, Meia's PHS rang. Thankful for the timely call, Meia picked it up and listened to Tseng's short instructions about getting a Shinra vehicle in order to leave Midgar safely.

As she ended the call, Elena said, "Sounds like you know where you're going. If you're trying to grab a vehicle, the Shin-Ra parking lot's located in the west end." She said, jerking a thumb in that direction.

Meia smiled. "Thank you."

"Now get out."

_Right… I forgot she is rude._ Meia shook her head to herself. Noticing that Elena was actually practising some martial arts before she barged in, Meia asked. "Elena, you can fight too?"

"That's right." Alana's little sister pointed at her uniform lapel proudly.

On closer inspection, Meia saw the golden crest and remembered seeing it somewhere in Alana's room. "Is that an Elite Emblem?" Meia exclaimed in awe. She (while in the slums) had seen many students from the school that Elena was studying in, but only a few had the golden badges pinned on their blazer.

"That's right," Said Elena proudly. "For the Martial Arts class. You only get one of these if you score top in your class term exams. I've gotten five already." She smiled, raising her fingers to show five.

Meia was duly impressed. She had heard that winning one Elite Emblem was enough evidence to show your capabilities, because competition was tight in the school. Meia frowned. "I remember Alana saying that you used to be in the handgun specialis…"

"I dropped it." Was her casual reply.

"I… see…" Meia could offer no more reply to her, for the younger girl clearly looked disinterested to continue the conversation with her. "Anyway… Thank you for keeping me here." Meia started to walk out but suddenly remembered that when she barged in, she saw Elena trying a roundhouse kick. "Um… Just so you know, you should try adjusting your stance so your weight's settled a bit more on the left side." Meia nodded, smiling and left the building before she needed to put up with more insolence. As Meia walked out of the building, she could've sworn she heard Elena's amazement as the student finally executed her kick fluidly.

After leaving Elena, Meia spent a bit more time in the slums, of which she managed to catch a Shinra infantryman by surprise and regretfully took off his uniform so that she could wear it instead. She tried not to blush as she removed the man's vest and unbuttoned his trousers. Then, turning around so that her back was facing the unconscious man, she quickly changed into the uniform. At least her newly acquired uniform allowed her to move about the slums easily, the Moth Slashers also stopped harassing her.

With luck, Meia spotted a Shinra truck and quickly jumped onto the back. Just like how she imagined it to be, the truck safely left Midgar through its checkpoint. Meia almost laughed out loud in delight. _Hope I can successfully meet Brother Veld, Tseng, Reno and Rude. _She smiled to herself.

Suddenly, there was a soft but clear rustle. Meia started and stared at the dark compartment of the truck. The canvas sheet covering the truck's rear did nothing to help her see, but what she could make out was someone, or something, moving among the plastic bags.

She tensed. _What is that?_ She stared at the bags and pulled out her handgun, but told herself not to shoot unnecessarily.

The bags finally burst open and a mass of blonde hair spilled out, revealing a girl. The girl took a deep breath of air, sighing, "Fresh air. Finally... huh?" She turned her face towards Meia, allowing Meia to see who the person was.

"E-Elena?" Meia exclaimed.

"Y-You!" Elena stared at Meia with equal surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Meia looked at her, still dressed in her school uniform. "Why are you in a bag?"

Elena shrugged. "I was kidnapped."

"By Shinra?" Meia frowned.

Elena shook her head. "Try an anti-Shinra organisation instead."

The only one that Meia could think of was AVALANCHE, but all she could blurt out was "... Why?"

Elena removed bits of paper from her hair. "I saw them. They were trying to pass as Shinra soldiers." She sighed. "So they brought me here so as not to compromise their plan."

Even in a situation like this, Elena showed no signs of fear nor panic. Meia marveled the girl's level-headedness. _Shinra could use a Turk like her. _She found herself thinking. Not that it was important now. The more important thing was... "So does that mean that this truck is being driven by..."

"AVALANCHE goons dressed up as Shinra lackeys?" Elena offered. "Yeah."

Meia pressed a palm on her forehead, disbelieving everything that was happening. "Alrighty." Breathed Meia. "If that's the case, then there's no problem if I hijack the truck right now."

Elena peered at her. "Are you... afraid?"

"What?" Meia stared at Elena with disbelief. "N-No, of course not!"

As the truck came to a stop, Meia quickly instructed Elena to wait in the truck and jumped out to confront the Ravens... before she could convince herself to run away.

* * *

><p>Alrighty, folks! The story is currently at 4th October, Year 0007. This story will end tomorrow (in their time). Yep, folks! We are down to the last few chapters before I either end the story for good (though the ending is not going to a complete ending), or I continue in a new sequel (because I don't want this story to drag to a hundred chapters long). We've come this far, don't give up on the story yet!<p>

As usual, please read and review :D


	58. The Threat That Pierces the Heavens

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 58 – The Threat that Pierces the Heavens**

4th October 0007, 1215 hours

Back in the Midgar city dump, Tseng wrinkled his nose at the incoming robots, whatever they were. "More grunts." He said coolly.

"They can throw all the goonies they want at us." Reno grinned, tapping his EMR on his back leisurely. "They aren't gonna stand in our way."

They felt movement at the back and all three of them turned around... to be greeted by another two of those scarlet robots that have been hindering them from navigating the city dump easily.

Tseng swore under his breath. "We're surrounded." Reno and Rude made eye contact and before Tseng could respond, the two Turks swiftly dealt with the robots. The metal monsters fell onto a heap and Tseng smirked. "Well done... As always."

Reno cocked an eyebrow at his leader in surprise. "... Flattery, Tseng?" He grinned and gave his lanky arms a little stretch. "We've barely even started."

"… This is nothing." Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose and smirked as well.

Tseng laughed, much to his surprise. "You're right." He nodded.

As he watched Reno and Rude squabble about who handled the robots better, he thought of Veld. _Sir… look at these guys. The Turks you've raised are fighting with everything they've got now – with the will and the pride of the Turks – that same will and pride you instilled in all of us. _He smiled to himself._ This is a mission not just to save you, but it's also a fight to defend our pride._

* * *

><p>1224 hours<p>

Meia quickly handled the Ravens and gave a quick sigh of relief. "Super, now I can tak-"

Her words are cut off by more Ravens jumping out of the back of the truck. They chuckled menacingly at her. Meia stared at the Ravens with disbelief. "O... Kay." She said to herself. "They can come all they want, I'm still going to hijack a truck, get Tseng and the others safely and be back in HQ for lunch." She smiled simply and prepared for attack.

She spoke her words too soon. She ended up fighting 6 Ravens. They were as strong as she remembered, but she was thankful that if anything, the Ravens had bad coordination. They were designed to be solo warriors and weapons, therefore they could not fight as a group. Quickly thinking on her feet, Meia spotted their mistakes and tackled all of them. Finally, when she thought that she had finished everyone, one of them jumped out of nowhere and kicked her. Meia flew metres before landing on the cold, hard, road.

Meia groaned and saw her world spinning through her dizzy eyes. She made out at least ten Ravens pouring out of the truck. She swore at the sheer amount of Ravens. _Do_ _they compress themselves like air? _She complained to herself, looking at the small back of the truck, where it seemed impossible to even fit eight men. _There's no way I'm going to lose here. _

She struggled to get up and she squinted at the Ravens. There were six (or was it seven?) Ravens standing. With a roar, Meia summoned herself to pick up her guns and she fought, starting with her ever-effective Aero spell. The Ravens were taken by surprise but most of them stood firmly, unwavered by the powerful spell.

It took almost all of Meia's strength to fight the Ravens, but she was thankful that the Ravens no longer regenerated, like how she witnessed her very first Raven in Icicle Inn years ago. Eventually, the Ravens died and silence fell onto the highway again.

Meia released a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She drew quick breaths but gasped as the truck began to drive off. "The truck!" Meia began to run after the truck, but soon the truck accelerated, leaving Meia behind in utter shock. "I have to get Elena and that truck back!"

Quickly, she flipped open her PHS and dialled Tseng's number. When the call got through, she said, "Sir, I'm afraid I couldn't get hold of a truck. I let them get away. I'm following them now." There was no reply, no disapproving tone. Only silence. _No… Were they captured? Taken down by monsters?_ "Sir…?" Meia called again but there were no voices on the other side, only the sound of dripping waters and mechanical movements in the background. "Tseng, sir!"

* * *

><p><em>Tseng... Throw away your fear. Take your pride in your hands once more. <em>

_You're a Turk._

Tseng opened his eyes wearily. _Veld… You're right… I'm…_

He groaned at the aches in his abdomen, but pushed himself onto his feet nevertheless. On his feet, Tseng staggered a little, but prepared his gun at the robots.

_I have somewhere I need to be…_

With an amazing accuracy that not many in the Turks had seen before, Tseng successfully took care of the enemies from both sides. Calmly, he reached for a potion in his pocket. He unscrewed the cap and poured the contents into his mouth. Feeling more energised, he tossed Reno and Rude a phoenix down each.

Soon, the two Turks groaned as consciousness returned. Reno was the first to wake. He bolted up straight and stared at Tseng. When he realised what had happened, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, we're too cocky."

Tseng shook his head and brushed some mud off his shoulder. "Do you need a potion?"

Reno shook his head vigorously. "Don't wanna be diabetic, yo?" He turned and nudged Rude. "Oi, Rude!"

Rude groaned and sat up as well. Tseng tossed him a potion and Rude drank it. Then, he gave Reno a Cure spell. Reno smirked and stretched himself as the healing spell rejuvenated his limbs and cleared his mind.

"Can you go on?" Tseng asked the two of them concernedly.

"You bet." Reno grinned.

Rude tugged his gloves. "Yes, sir." He answered.

With a nod, the three of them traversed further down the corridor, in search for their elusive Commander, Veld.

* * *

><p>1300 hours<p>

Shears ran along the Midgar slums, his handsome face furrowed with worry. "Damn it!" He cursed. "There was a way to make Zirconiaide whole? All my searching and this is all I've been able to find." He clenched his fists tightly. "Fuhito probably knows about this already. At this rate, Elfé will be sacrificed." He shook his head. "But… I'll protect her, at any cost."

A green beam of light shot out from behind him and Shears narrowly misses it. He stared at the direction where it came from, but heard a familiar chuckle instead. "It has been a long time, Shears."

Shears growled at his former tactician and three other Ravens. "Fuhito... Where's Elfé?" He roared and ran towards them.

Fuhito merely held out a hand to halt him. "In this truck." He jerked a thumb at the Shinra truck next to him. As Shears made a move to run towards the truck, Fuhito stopped him. "I would appreciate it if you didn't move."

* * *

><p>On a train, Elena struggled to squirm out of the Ravens' grip. "Hey, let me go!"<p>

Finally, she managed to release herself from them. She rubbed her arm ruefully. _This train is going to Midgar. What are these people planning? _Elena wondered to herself. _Also, is that Turk alright?_

The Raven behind her gave her a nasty prod on her back. She turned around sharply and glared at him. She thought she saw something fall but she paid no attention to it. "Ow! All right, I got it." She grumbled. "I just have to keep walking, right? Geez!" She scoffed as the Ravens led her away.

* * *

><p>1310 hours<p>

Back to the Midgar slums, Shears took a deep breath and glared at Fuhito. The evil tactician chuckled. "You made the right choice." He said, referring to Shears not acting rashly. "If you care about keeping Elfé alive, you'll do exactly as I say." He said simply. Shears said nothing, only to glare at the tactician lethally, though Fuhito chose to ignore that. "I've come here for one reason, and one only." Fuhito stretched out his hand and asked politely. "The Materia. I would like to have it back now, if you please."

Shears frowned at the mild-looking antagonist, his mind thinking furiously. _What should I do…?_ _If I'm going to save Elfé, the summoning needs to happen, so that the Materia is taken out of her._ _In other words, the person bearing the support Materia isn't a big problem. If anything, the problem is what'll happen after the summoning._ He had faced many challenging combat opponents in his life, even before he joined AVALANCHE. None of his enemies can compare to what the Planet was about to face. However, he was unfazed, for his mind was trained on one goal. _The most important thing is finding a way to protect Elfé._

He eventually nodded at Fuhito. The mild-mannered man chuckled with malicious delight as Shears reached for his pocket for the Materia. _Maybe the wisest thing to do is to do as Fuhito says and go along with him for now. _He tossed the crystal at Fuhito, who caught it perfectly in his hands. _I can keep tabs until that moment the summoning is complete and then rescue her. _He thought about the Turks and how they've been working together to find Elfe. Allying with the Turks was not in his plans. However, he was so desperate to find Elfe that even allying Shinra seemed like a good idea. _I hope everything turns out fine._

He immediately knew his decision was a fatal mistake the moment he felt a Raven's presence too close for comfort. He felt as if the air inside his body was completely removed as the Raven punched his gut.

_Damn that… Fuhito… _

Those were Shears' last fading thoughts before he collapsed onto the dirt floor.

* * *

><p>1325 hours<p>

Following the long road on the highway, Meia came to a train station and boarded the train without considering how farfetched her plans were. She doubted her own judgement as to whether Elena was possibly brought onto this train, but her doubts soon cleared when she saw the Elite Emblem on the floor. _She must've dropped it. _She smiled to herself, knowing that her gut feeling was right that Elena was brought onto this particular train.

Meia began to run along the train, glad that it was empty. Soon, she found Elena, surrounded by many Ravens. "Elena!" Meia shouted.

"You!" Elena looked extremely grateful to see Meia.

Meia frowned at the Ravens. "Elena isn't connected with the Turks. Let her go!"

The Raven chuckled in a way that was eerily similar to Fuhito. "Gladly. If you give us the support Materia in exchange."

"The support Materia?" Meia quickly assessed her surroundings. The entire train was occupied by Ravens, though after that massive massacre she made with the Ravens on the highway, Meia felt that she could possibly take control of the train as well. _For now, I'll pretend to accept their offer... Until Elena is safe, that is._

While she was still considering the offer, Elena said crossly. "Don't listen to them. If it's just these guys, I can get out of this myself."

Before Meia could respond, Elena kicked the Raven. The Raven turned and stared down at her.

_No!_ Meia thought. _There's no way Elena could win them! _"Stop!" Meia shouted. "I get it... I'll give you the support Materia." Meia reached into her pocket and pulled out the shiny Materia.

"Why?" Elena shouted. "Isn't it important?"

Meia smiled. "It's okay."

As the Raven released Elena, Meia tossed the Materia to the Raven, who ran headfirst into the next train compartment.

"You..." Elena muttered.

"Stand back!" Meia cried as she tackled the remaining Ravens on the train. The Ravens put up little fight, and soon they fell onto the floor. Meia turned to Elena. "I'll be going to take that Materia back."

"I'm coming too." Elena said firmly.

"No." Meia shook her head. "Stay here."

"B-But it's my fault all of this happened in the first place."

"Don't worry." Meia gave her a grin. "I can make everything up in no time. We do whatever it takes to succeed. That's what the Turks do!" She laughed and left.

Elena stared at the door, where a Turk whom she had just met hours ago saved her life. _I don't even know her name... I thought the Turks were nothing more than Shin-Ra's dogs, but…_ She thought about how that Turk was willing to sacrifice her important Materia for her life. _They're not so bad. _She thought about her sister, Alana. Although they were constantly being compared, Elena couldn't really place a time where Alana did anything that really harmed her.

_Hey, Alana? _Elena thought._ Do you think I could become a Turk too? Maybe I'll become a Turk one day. _She smiled to herself.

_But_ _I'll surpass you._

* * *

><p>With a long while of chasing, Meia finally chased to the first car of the train. She heard scrabbling noises above her. "The Raven's on the roof!" She exclaimed. Quick as lightning, Meia ran up onto the roof, just in time to see the Raven jumping onto the next train heading in the opposite direction.<p>

Meia stomped her foot in frustration. "Cheater!" She cried childishly. "They must have researched the train schedules when they planned this. No fair!"

She heard noises behind her and as she turned around, saw Elena walking towards her, balanced and graceful despite the bumpy train tracks. "Where's the Materia?" Meia shook her head and explained to Elena what happened. "I'm so sorry. If I weren't such a klutz…" Elena bit her lip.

Meia smiled. "Don't worry about it. There's still a way." When Elena gave her a quizzical look, Meia grinned in a manner reminiscent of Reno. "I don't know, steal a helicopter or something."

Elena looked unconvinced. "Can you make it?"

_She's right._ Meia thought. _Shinra is targeting the Turks. It's too dangerous to return to headquarters. But…_

To her surprise, Elena smiled. "Forget what I just said. You're a Turk, right?"

Meia grinned back at her. "Yeah! That's right! No matter what the mission, we will succeed. Because we're the Turks!" She pulled out her PHS. "First, we gotta call Shears..." Her PHS rang before she could take it out. She picked up the call. "Shears?" Meia's heart skipped a beat when she heard him groan. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Fuhito…" Said Shears, the words dropping into Meia's heart like a boulder. "He…Took the…The support Materia…"

_Oh dear. _Thought Meia. "Erm... They got away with my Materia too."

There was silence. Then Fuhito groaned. "Meia… Stop Fuhito… Go after him… Going to summon… He's found a way to complete the summon…"

"Are you sure?" Meia exclaimed. "That's bad! We can't take it down if it's whole!"

"There is a way to stop it… By saving Elfé… After the summon… Fuhito will…Try to…take the Materia… out of her body…"

"You mean kill her?" Meia gasped.

"Yeah…" Breathed Fuhito. "Help… her… It doesn't look like…I can do it myself…"

The call ended. "Shears!" Meia cried to the silent phone.

* * *

><p>1410 hours<p>

Reno, Rude and Tseng, now filled with hope in their hearts that they were going to see Veld soon, ran along the dark hallway and finally came to a door.

"Tseng!" Reno cried. "There it is! That door over there."

They reached the door. Rude nodded at Tseng and gave the door a sharp punch. The door flew open and they ran in, with Reno whistling in victory.

In the room, it was so dark that Reno could barely see anything. If not for Tseng shouting in recognition at their leader, he wouldn't have known that there was anyone inside at all.

"You?" Reno heard Veld say. "Why did you come here?"

"To rescue you, of course." Reno grinned in a matter-of-fact way.

Veld's voice was enough to show his displeasure. "You do this and there won't be a place for you to go back to."

"We're just doing our jobs." Reno shrugged.

"… If you choose to look at it that way." Rude added. Veld snorted.

"Executing you would be a great loss to Shinra." Tseng pleaded. "Shinra needs you. We'll take all the time we need to prove that to them. Meia's preparing a vehicle for our escape."

Veld considered the three Turks before him and finally, he nodded. "Okay. Tseng. Reno. Rude. Let's go."

They left the room and Reno saw for the first time how haggard their former leader looked. He was thin and worn out. His usually kept hair was messy and long. "Veld..." He muttered.

"Let's go." Ordered Tseng.

They ran back to where they came from but Tseng paused when his PHS rang. It was Meia. "Tseng..." Her voice was unusually calm and serious. "All of the support Materia has been taken."

"What?" Tseng exclaimed.

"I'm going to take one of Shin-Ra's choppers and get it back from them." Continued Meia before Tseng could continue.

"You're going back to headquarters?" Tseng exclaimed. Beside him, Reno suddenly looked interested in the conversation.

"I'm already inside." Meia said, surprising Tseng for once.

_She has indeed grown to be a good Turk._ Tseng smiled to himself. _Bold and reckless... like Reno._

"…I see. Okay. I'll leave it up to you, Meia." As Tseng flipped the phone shut, he explained to the others that the Support Materia were all stolen and Meia was currently in the Shinra Building stealing a helicopter to chase AVALANCHE.

"Going back to HQ alone?" Reno asked incredulously. "Atta girl." He smiled broadly and frowned when the others merely shook their heads. "What? I can't be proud that she's following my footsteps?"

"More importantly..." Veld said slowly. "Has she ever flown a helicopter before?"

* * *

><p>4th October 0007, 1430 hours<p>

Meia glanced at the helicopter controls nervously. No, she has never flown a helicopter before. But she has seen Reno work his magic across the board enough times to know what to press and what not to press. Reno, in his talkative mood, often told her the things that he'd learnt, though Meia highly doubted that they would be useful now.

_Whatever it is, let's just... wing it._

She soon spotted the truck along the Midgar highway again. Against the perpetually dark Midgar sky, the brightly lit highways made spotting the truck easy. "Okay. I've caught up. I won't let them get any further." She manoeuvred the helicopter closer to the truck. "Stop!"

She applied pressure on the controls and hooted in excitement. Bracing herself for impact, Meia nudged the truck with the nose of the chopper. The helicopter rammed the truck one more time, this time flipping the rear of the truck slightly off the ground. The truck immediately came to a stop and when Meia saw a Raven jumping out and running ahead, she landed the helicopter and ran after the Raven too.

Turning back to look at the helicopter which she had single-handedly piloted, she marveled at her craziness. "Can't be a Turk without some insanity too." She muttered before giving chase. "Wait right there!"

As Meia chased the Raven who had the Materia, she fought through many Raven-barricades. Finally, she saw the Raven slow down at a group of people. Her heart fell when she saw that it was Fuhito, with a languid Elfe lying on the floor.

"Elfe!" She roared but she was still too far away.

Fuhito chuckled and nodded approval at the Raven who presented the Materia to him. Meia forced her legs to run faster, as she watched Fuhito produce all four Support Materia and gave a short chant. The four orbs floated independently and surrounded the unconscious Elfe.

"NO!" Meia roared but it was too late. A blue light covered the former AVALANCHE leader and suddenly Elfe was glowing.

Meia was finally close enough to hear Fuhito, though she was still some distance away. "It's time." Fuhito said, tapping his fingertips with satisfaction. "Ooh! So this is the ultimate power of the Planet…" He observed, as if watching a natural phenomenon.

Meia continued running, her eyes fixated at the strange sight before her. Elfe began to float, just like the four Support Materia and to Meia's horror, Elfe began to glow a brilliant red.

_I need to get closer._ Meia commanded her legs to finally shorten the distance between herself and AVALANCHE.

Soon, Fuhito noticed her presence. "Oh, it's a Turk." He held a hand out to stop Meia from taking another step. "I won't allow you to interfere. Gentlemen, here we have a parasite that's eating away at the life of the Planet. Its very existence is inexcusable." Fuhito's voice dropped into a threatening growl. "Exterminate it at once."

Almost immediately, the Ravens surged against Meia and Meia did a few cartwheels back to avoid their kicks. Three Ravens were tricky to handle, but Meia had enough practice with them.

"Firaga!" She roared and instantly, flames burst from the centre of the Ravens' stomach. While the Ravens looked down at themselves, Meia gave three clean shots at where the fire was, simultaneously hitting two Ravens and giving the last shot at the third one. With a gaping wound in their bodies, Meia muttered a poison spell to speed the dying process.

Without checking to see if the Ravens were dead, Meia turned to face Fuhito, but saw Elfe being surrounded by a ball of red light. Sparks shot out of the ball of light like angry scarlet snakes threatening to harm any disturbances.

"Elfe!" Meia shouted, as four bursts of energy shot from where Elfe was, into the night sky like fireworks.

"And that's all the conditions met." Meia could've sworn he wiped a tear off his eye. Finally the red ball of light dissipated, leaving a weak Elfe and the four Support Materia hovering above her floating body. She lay floating like a broken doll. "How blindingly beautiful."

Meia noticed the sky lightening and looked behind her, where the Shinra Building was. The pitch dark sky suddently glowed red, illuminating the city in its vermillion glaze. In the distance ahead, lightning flashed across the sky and Meia could tell that it was not a natural phenomenon, but simply the act of magic.

The earth began to shake, almost tripping Meia from where she was standing. "Fuhito!" She roared. "What have you done?"

Fuhito paid no notice to her, as if Meia was a rat by a corner. "How graceful in its solemnity. How magnificent in its gravity." He stretched his hands towards the universe, delirious and awestruck. "The light that shines the utter and profound truth upon all in the universe!"

Meia stared at the sky above. The red ball of light that encased Elfe earlier on was now forming in the sky, growing in speed and danger like how a mere snowball could be the start of a mighty avalanche. "It's starting..." She muttered to herself. "The summoning's begun... The threat that pierces the heavens."

"And so comes the end to this woman's usefulness." Fuhito said, as if continuing Meia's remark. He stood over Elfe's body. "I shall liberate the Materia from her body."

Before Fuhito could stretch out his hand, Meia yelled, "No!" She leapt forward and grabbed Elfe out of Fuhito's spell range. Finally, the two of them landed on the floor. Elfe did not stir from the impact and Meia was glad that she wasn't harmed. Standing up and ignoring the scratch that she had from scraping the floor while saving Elfe, Meia stood up and glared at Fuhito. "I'll protect Elfé no matter what I have to do."

Fuhito's expression was unreadable, though his step towards Meia was probably more threatening than the words he said. "Give her back." Fuhito warned.

"I won't! If Zirconiaide becomes complete..." Meia took a deep breath. "It will mean the end of everything." She started to walk slowly towards Fuhito, ensuring that she didn't break away from the levelled gaze at her antagonist, pulling out her double guns as she walked... and hoping that he would not realise how terrified she was at this point. "I... I won't let you do that." Meia said with enough determination in her voice to even convince... herself.

To Meia's surprise, Fuhito chuckled. "Such courage even in the face of death..." Fuhito taunted. He blinked his tiny eyes at her. "Your father would be very proud of you."

Meia steeled herself and forced herself not to be affected. "No thanks to you." She replied.

"Oh, no I wouldn't say that, if I were you." Fuhito said lightly. "Had I not killed your father, you wouldn't have made it thus far as a Turk. It was your luck that you survived the homicide..." He raised his rifle at Meia. "But it ends today, little Meia!"

_So it's true, he killed my father. _Meia raised her guns at him. "Bring it on, Fuhito!" She roared.

Fuhito made a shot at her, but Meia dodged. "You intend to keep on interfering?" Fuhito taunted. "Then you will die!"

"Lightning!" She roared Fuhito, who calmly brushed the spell aside. Meia cursed herself. _For once when I forget something, it HAD to be that Fuhito wears the Wizard Bracer that halves elemental damage! _Quickly changing strategies, she prepared her gun for another spell but Fuhito was quicker. The barrel of his rifle rammed against the back of Meia's head and she fell forward. "Oooph!" She groaned at the impact.

Her world was spinning from the heavy impact, but Meia had no time to think. Fuhito brought his rifle down on her, this time aiming for her skull. Meia rolled away just in time to avoid her face being smashed. Remembering how she took down King in Club Duel, she steadied her body with her hands on the ground and rearing her legs, she kicked Fuhito's shin.

Though Fuhito roared in agony and momentarily clutched his leg, Meia's head was still spinning and she could barely aim, much less damage. Nevertheless, she smiled to herself. _Underhanded tactics. Classy and effective._

As her eyes begin to focus again, she saw that Fuhito was glowering at her. "Both you and your pathetic father-"

"Don't you dare call him 'pathetic!" Meia growled.

"The two of you only know how to disturb great minds at work." Fuhito gestured at spark-filled sky. "Your father has paid for his nosiness… Now you will pay for yours!" He roared.

From the corner of her eye, Meia noticed the Support Materia twinkling erratically. "Wait, something's wrong with the support Materia!" She pointed behind him.

A normal person wouldn't have fallen for the 'trick', but Fuhito stopped to look at the Materia because he was far more concerned with the summoning. And Meia would've used that unhanded opportunity to attack him, if she was lying. However, it was true that the support Materia looked like they were acting up in a disturbing manner.

From behind her, Meia turned and saw that Elfe was surrounded by a blue glow again. Elfe rises slowly, hovering above the road like before. Meia ran to Elfe and tried to shake her, but Elfe wouldn't wake up. "What's going on here?" She shouted at Fuhito, as if expecting him to have the answers to everything.

Effortlessly, something flew out of Elfe's chest. A red light shot out and stayed still, above Elfe. The shiny crystal was encased in a scarlet light, but moved ever so slowly upon an imaginary axis. "Is that... the Summon Materia? No way..." Gaped Meia. "The Materia come out on its own?"

Before she could reach for it, the Materia flew on its own accord towards the four Support Materia. Now without its power, Elfe stopped floating and fell neatly into Meia's arms. Meia tensed her arms as they felt her weight, but managed to place the former AVALANCHE leader onto the floor gently. When Meia turned back to look at the five Materia, they were no longer five Materia, but one sole crimson orb, glinting maliciously against the glow of Midgar's cityline. "... Fused... as one Materia?" Meia spoke to herself.

_This is bad. Very bad._

"Oooh!" Cried Fuhito, grinning widely. "Things are going better than I expected!"

"No, they're not!" Meia frowned at the tactician.

There was a blinding flash and Meia covered her eyes from its brightness. When her eyes focused again, the new Materia settled in front of Fuhito. It landed gently on his hands and finally the light surrounding the Materia dimmed into a dormant glow.

"This Materia… I must take it to Zirconiaide. This is that most important of duties bestowed upon me by the Planet." Meia could've sworn that Fuhito was on the verge of going down on one knee, as if receiving an imperial edict. "I shall offer everything for the Planet's restoration." With that, he ran towards Midgar, leaving Meia behind.

"Stop!" She cried. "We're not finished yet!" But Fuhito was too far away to hear nor heed her. She groaned in frustration and reaching for her PHS, she punched in the numbers for Tseng's number. Before he could even respond, Meia shouted. "Tseng!"

* * *

><p>1515 hours<p>

In the underground tunnels of Midgar's City Dump, the Turks had stopped once again because Tseng was picking up a call from Meia.

"What? There's a way for Zirconiaide to become whole?" Tseng exclaimed over the phone call.

Reno swore loudly and Rude furrowed his eyebrows and folded his arms solemnly. Everyone was at their wits' end. There was no sign of Elfe, the other Turks were scattered all over Midgar and now Death loomed in their fate.

_How are we going to resolve everything? _Rude thought to himself. _No doubt after this incident, Shinra would have a lot to handle. This means more work for us all. Just that... maybe it won't be our jobs anymore, since we would've been dead for betraying the company for Veld._

Veld shook his head at them. "We'll find a solution to this. Do not forget who you are."

Beside him, Tseng finally finished the call and turned to Veld. "Your daughter has been successfully rescued."

Veld looked at the Turks beside him. "Everyone..." For the first time he spoke with much emotion on his face and words. "Thank you." Reno grinned and waved as if saving people was a duty he did every day. "But what about Zirconiaide?" Veld asked, referring to the powerful ancient summon that used to reside dormant in Elfe's body.

Tseng shook his head sadly. "The summoning's started. The Materia is in Fuhito's hands. With it, he can use it to complete the summon."

"This is the worst possible scenario…"

"Set your mind at ease, sir." Tseng assured him. "We'll think of a plan."

"No shit?" Reno grinned. "This has got to be the best job so far!" He swung his EMR excitedly.

"... We'll do our best, sir." Rude added in.

Tseng nodded. "There is no mission impossible for the Turks." He gave a small smile to Veld, the man who forced the Turks to line up in a row and recite the mantra once in the morning and in the evening, everyday.

"Heh." Veld chuckled. "Looks like I've inculcated the mantra too well." He turned the corridor ahead. "Let's go."

"You betcha!" Reno wooted in delight as they began running. "It's time we whooped some bigass monster's ass!"

* * *

><p>So… we're within the last five chapters of the story. I suppose I'm going to talk a bit about this… sequel, huh? So far, "I Want To Be A Turk!" has been on the storyline of Before Crisis and Crisis Core. The story will end at the end of Before Crisis. However, the ending to this story will be less than desirable, which of course I will not spoil.<p>

The sequel of the story is just as important as this one. It depicts of the events of Final Fantasy VII and the two years after Meteorfall to the event of Advent Children. No, I will not be writing Dirge of the Cerberus. My story is as long as it is!

So that's just a small little… press release. I'll be talking about the sequel in the remaining few chapters. Maybe if you are keen, I'll show some sneak preview of the new sequel.

Will there even be a sequel? What if I decide to stop after this? I'll talk about these issues in the next chapter. For now, please read and review!


	59. Xylophonic Events

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 59 – Xylophonic Events**

Zirconiade, the summon capable of burning the planet asunder, has been summoned using an incomplete Materia. An imperfect summoning. There was a way to make the summon complete: To offer the Summon Materia, the Materia that was initially residing in Elfe's body. Fuhito had gotten hold of the Summon Materia and was heading towards Zirconiade. However, finding the dormant summon will take Fuhito many hours, buying the Turks enough time to prepare themselves for Zirconiade... And anything else after.

In the short 24 hours after Fuhito retrieved the Summon Materia from Elfe's body, many things happened simultaneously. Some events were quick, like short bursts of energy, some felt like an eternal prelude, never revealing instantly the song. Both manners folded and weaved into a xylophonic music piece of what the future held for the Turks...

4th October 0007, 1555 hours

Meia stared at the cityline of Midgar. The city was in perpetual darkness, but the Shinra Building loomed over the city like a giant hovering over dark waters. Behind the Shinra Building, there was a great ball of aqua light crackling great sparks. The citizens in the slums must've thought that a nasty thunderstorm is brewing. Only those who practised the art of magic could smell the magic-tinged air and the ominous tidings it brought.

_So much has happened. _She hugged her knees and sighed. Meia peeked at Elfe. What was once the mighty and fearsome leader of AVALANCHE now lay weak and helpless on the floor. She looked no older than Meia herself, now that the Summon Materia was forced out of her body. She looked like she had difficulty even breathing.

"Hang in there, Elfe." Meia said softly. She brushed Elfe's brown hair to the side and nudged her, hoping that Elfe might stir from the slight contact.

_Who am I kidding?_ Meia thought. _She has been unconscious for many hours, days even._ She stared at Elfe, breathing slowly and quietly. _That Materia must have been quite a handful to be a vessel for._

Thinking back, Elfe's strength and combat prowess, once deemed by Rod to be unmatchable to only Sephiroth, were probably strength imbued by the Materia in her body. "... What's taking them so long?" Getting onto her feet, Meia called Tseng. "Tseng?"

"Stop calling us every 15 minutes." Tseng's calm voice spoke before she could ask. Behind him, Meia heard a low, deep voice that sounded like Veld speaking. "... We've called Rod a while back, he'll be coming with a Shinra truck. Follow Rod's orders and we'll be there to pick her at the meeting point, though it won't be for another hour or so."

Meia gave an audible sigh of relief. "Then I'll go ahead and go after Fuhito." She shook her head to herself, wondering how much closer was Fuhito from Zirconiade. "I'll leave Elfé to you." Meia hung up the phone and as if on cue, she saw a Shinra truck.

"Meia!" She heard a voice call out her name distinctively. Squinting against the headlights, she spotted Rod behind the steering wheel, grinning from ear to ear. She waved back. Finally seeing a familiar face, Meia felt herself relax slightly. As the truck pulled over, Rod stuck his head out of the window. "Load Elfe in the back and we'll drive to the meeting place." He instructed.

Meia nodded and with Rod's help, they placed Elfe comfortably behind the truck. "Good thinking." Meia grinned as she patted a familiar motorbike loaded behind as well. "I didn't know you've found the motorbike that Cissnei 'lost'."

"Cassie and I found my baby in the sandlands near Midgar." Rod explained, stroking the seat lovingly. "I'm just glad to have found it. I mean, I was pissed as hell when Cissnei admitted that she lent it to Zack Fair for his escape. But it's all over now, so no use beating on split milk, right?"

"Beating... on split milk..." Meia smiled. "That's an interesting way to say it." They drove in silence to the rendezvous point, a few miles outside Midgar. Leaving Elfe behind in the truck, they unloaded the motorbike. As Meia climbed onto the motorbike behind Rod, she said. "Let's go after Fuhito."

"No, Meia."

"What?" She stared at the redhead.

"We're going back to the Shinra Building." Rod said steely.

Meia frowned. "Wh... Why?"

"Think about it." Rod said emotionlessly, starting the engine. "We're being hunted by Shinra. Zirconiade or not, after this episode it's likely that our heads will roll. The others are already back in HQ as we speak. We're... we're fugitives. It's time to pack and say goodbye to our home." Before Meia could respond, Rod floored the accelerator and the motorbike zoomed, leaving Elfe in the Shinra truck behind, towards new unknown difficulties that no one could ever imagine.

* * *

><p>1615 hours<p>

Going back to the Shinra Building was not an easy task. With added security, Rod and Meia almost triggered every possible alarm that might alert anyone of their presence back in the headquarters.

"Since when do they have so many alarms?" Meia grumbled as she almost tripped and made herself be seen in full sight of many guards and soldiers.

"Ever since Shinra was convinced that our one moment of 'mistake' was enough to erase our years of hard work and soul." Replied Rod with equal grievance. He quickly yanked Meia into the elevator and punched in a code in the controls.

"What is that?" Meia pointed.

"An exclusive code, only available to the higher executives, that allows the elevator to go to its intended destination without interruption." Replied Rod.

Meia stared at him. "Since when do you have such confidential things?"

"Ever since I figured that Shinra's ass is no longer worth saving." Replied Rod cheekily.

The elevator doors opened to Floor 54 and Meia saw Leia's worried face. "About time you showed up, Meia." Leia said seriously. "Good job with Elfe and Fuhito, by the way."

Meia ran into Leia's arms. "I was scared." She admitted.

Leia patted her comfortingly. "We'll talk later, it's time to pack up and leave. Alana is returning home, but we can put some of our things with her, so just toss them into the boxes in the Turks' Lounge. Well, we're running away so you should know that you can't take everything..."

"I know." Meia assured the female martial artist. "Only necessities."

"I'm going to pack my stuff up too." Rod gave a short wave before running to his room.

Meia peered into the room nearest to them, which happened to be KK's room. KK walked out of her room, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt, instead of the usual Turk suit. "Yo, Meia." She grinned. "You better start packing."

"Necessities, huh?" Meia observed with a cheeky smile. KK's room was almost empty.

KK giggled sheepishly. "Everything is a necessity when you are sentimental." KK waved Meia away. "I dare you to leave the building with as much as when you first came in." KK grinned.

Waving goodbye to Leia, Meia went to the lounge, instead of her room. There, she saw Cissnei, Alana and Mason.

"Hey, little Meia." Mason grinned. "Heard about your exciting day."

"Very funny." Smiled Meia. "What have you been doing?"

"After we left the bar, some of us headed back to HQ to start packing." Explained Cissnei.

Meia raised an eyebrow and realised that only 12 hours ago, she was still in the bar with the Turks and meeting Elena for the first time. _Was it possible that so much can happen in just 12 hours? _Meia thought. In that 12 hours, Meia fought endless enemies, ran till her legs almost gave way, semi-hijacked a truck and lost Elena as a hostage and chased after a truck in a helicopter that she had never piloted before.

"It was Alana's idea, surprisingly." Mason joked. "To come back and pack."

Alana reddened. "I simply realised that we should be prepared at all times... even in times where our lives are at risk." She said seriously. "I called home to explain the situation and my parents are good with keeping some of us over in the house... No one has noticed our lack of presence in the HQ so far, I doubt they will realise that we have completely disappeared."

Meia walked to the glass cabinet and took out the photographs. "Can we take these along?" She asked. "It'll be weird to run away without them." She said shyly.

"I see no problem with that." Replied Alana, reaching a hand to take the photo frames. "Is that all that you want me to take?" Meia nodded.

"Don't you want to take your father's journals as well?" Cissnei asked.

"I do..." Meia said softly. "But they take up a lot of space. I have photographic memory, you know." She smiled. "While I'll be sad to see them go, I still remember everything my father wrote."

"Weelll..." Cissnei looked around her. "Most of us have placed our bulkier items here, so if there is space, we'll put it in for you?"

Meia's face brightened. "That would be great! ... What about Veld, Tseng, Reno and Rude?"

Mason patted some of the sealed boxes. "One step ahead of you." He grinned. "I believe that you are one of the least packed now. Go to your room and pack up."

Nodding, Meia finally ran back to her room. Closing the door behind her, she stared at the things in her room. _It's impossible to leave this place with as much as I've brought in, KK. _Meia smiled. _I came here with only my clothes on. Heck, I didn't even have proper underwear. Now, every inch of this room is what I've become._

Her neatly made bed with bedsheets of printed lavender (smells like it too). Her short cabinet with round handles, a lovely platform for her photo frames and accessories. Her closet with clothes filled gradually over her 7 years in Shinra. A mini bookshelf that Meia bought for herself for her 15th birthday to house her favourite books and her father's journals.

Meia grabbed a large duffel bag and opened her wardrobe. _No more suits for me. _She decided. That basically meant that she could take most clothes with her, since she doesn't have much clothes apart from her Turk uniform. Her fingers stopped at the cream yellow dress that she wore to the Christmas party 7 years ago. _Has it been that long? _She laughed to herself. The dress still flared out in pretty pleats but the yellow has faded over the years. Meia could no longer fit into the dress, wondering just how skinny she was when she first entered Shinra. Still, Meia packed the dress. The dress was one of the first things that she bought with the money she earned as a Turk. _Kunsel... _She thought of her SOLDIER friend. _What would he say to all of this? _Meia shook her head. Now was not the time to think about these things.

Her duffel bag was almost full with her clothes, but it wasn't as if Meia had much more to pack. She closed the closet doors and made a quick glance over her cabinet. There, she tossed the box of earrings that Reno gave her and the photo frames of her father inside the box. Her eyes fell upon the metal bird on the cabinet. The metal bird was symbolic of her life before she became a Turk. Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan, the maker of the metal bird. She often thought that she had forgotten them, for it has been a long time since their deaths in the Wutai invasion of Sector 4, but the metal bird was the constant reminder of her background._ Tihan... _She thought. _I won't leave without the metal bird you made for Alyssa. _She picked up the cold metal contraption, the toy of a little girl who was ultimately killed by the very young and wet-behind-the-ears Turk, Reno. _It's amazing how a toy could link so many of our lives together._

Finally, she packed her weapons and accessories, her old, not-as-shiny-as-before chrome gun given to her by Alana, and placed it in her holster. She left the Shinra standard gun on her cabinet, but thought against it and took the gun with her. _I still have Fuhito and Zirconiade to handle._

With her bag full and her room looking as if it was void of any memories, Meia stood facing the room and whispered. "I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but... thank you for sheltering me the past 7 years. I've been happy to be a Turk, and your comfort and protection never cease to make me revitalised for the new day." Meia took a deep breath... and finally walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Meia briskly walked down the corridors and headed back to the lounge. Haato seemed to be speaking sternly to a boy when she approached but upon closer inspection, she gasped at the recognition.

"Kunsel?" Meia gaped at the 2nd Class SOLDIER. He had never visited the Turk floors, except to visit the cafeteria.

Kunsel ran towards Meia. "I'll be gone as soon as possible. I promise." Kunsel pleaded with Haato. "Just give me 5 minutes." Haato frowned and walked back to the lounge, leaving Meia with Kunsel.

_... This could be the last time that I'll see him. _Meia thought. Gulping, she called, "Kunsel…" Meia suddenly grabbed him by his shoulders. "I have photographic memory!"

Kunsel stared at Meia as if she was nuts. "Excuse me?"

"I can memorise everything I see." Meia explained, now talking on and on without pausing to breathe. "That's how I learnt my combat skills from Brother Zack, and your roundhouse kick so quickly. With this brain, I can manipulate up to 5 Materia without being Mako-enhanced. I read and know enough things in my life to get me killed, but my mind still thirsts for more knowledge."

"Meia-" But Meia didn't let him continue.

"I told you that you looked like my childhood friend, Tihan. But the truth is that you look absolutely like him, who was eventually killed by Shinra, even though I never held anything against the company." She blushed and spoke softly. "I did think about whether I ever liked you, but even though I never had feelings for you..." She muttered quietly. "Perhaps in different circumstances..."

Kunsel stared at Meia. "Now THAT'S news." He said, grinning briefly before allowing Meia to continue.

"My father was a Turk, who was killed by one of the leaders in AVALANCHE. Vincent Valentine was birthed in my head, because my father adored and admired him. He constantly talked to me, even as a baby, about Vincent Valentine."

"Whoa, whoa whoa…" Kunsel slowed her down. "What's this all about?"

Meia sighed and looked at her friend sadly. "I wanted to tell you all the secrets that I've kept from you these years… I'm sorry for keeping these things from you, especially when you're my closest friend after I entered Shinra... Do you remember the time when you asked me why I wanted to be a Turk?"

Kunsel nodded. It was the most simplest of questions, yet till now Meia has yet to give him a reply.

"I still... I still don't know why I want to be a Turk. I'm afraid I can never give you a proper reason." Meia smiled. "There were so many reasons that eventually built up my resolve to stay here... but now that I'm leaving…"

To her surprise, Kunsel laughed. "You know, Meia?" He grinned cheekily. "I always knew about your… quirks."

"… You do?" Meia asked flatly.

"Nothing escapes the intelligence of SOLDIER." Seeing Meia's surprised face, Kunsel shook his head. "Still too innocent, Meia." He chuckled, but soon his laugh faded. "Meia, is there any other way to do this?" Kunsel said sadly.

Meia shook her head. "Shinra wants our heads. The only thing I ask of you-"

"Is my confidentiality?" Kunsel asked. "You have it, no questions asked." He raised both his hands. "I have absolutely no idea where you guys are going to be hiding."

"Funny." Meia grinned. "Because I don't know where I'm going too, but that's not what I'm going to say." Meia held his hand. "I want you to live happy, Kunsel. You've been one of my best friends after Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan. I don't want to see you suffer… Zack wouldn't want that to happen." Meia held out a pinky finger. "Promise?"

Kunsel grinned and they hooked pinkies together. "Meia," He smiled as they released their pinky promise. "You've been a very good friend to me, Meia Etsky. From the very beginning, when we first met in the gym, to our Christmas dance, through the years and through Zack's death, you've been a great friend and a sister to me. If we ever see each other again, I hope that it will be in more favourable conditions." He stretched out a hand. "Let our friendship not be affected by distance and circumstances."

"…" Meia stretched out her hand and shook it. "Let our friendship not be affected by distance and circumstances." She repeated. She gave her friend a hug and waved goodbye to him as he disappeared behind the elevators, wondering if she would ever see his face again.

* * *

><p>1700 hours<p>

It was the first time Reno met Veld's daughter, Felicia, or better known as leader of AVALANCHE, Elfe.

When they arrived at the rendezvous point, there was no one in sight, save a lone Shinra truck parked at the side of the road. Rude and Reno looked at each other, as if to confirm if they were guessing that Elfe was in the truck. Then, there was a soft noise coming from the truck, and Reno saw Elfe staggering out.

Reno would've never guessed that the frail, petite and young woman (who looked as if she had difficulty even breathing) was the leader of AVALANCHE. _They say that her strength is superhuman, matching up to even Sephiroth's_. He mused. _Totally not seeing it here. _He concluded, glancing at her slender wrists and tired face.

However, the name that Veld shouted at her was evidence to counter his doubts. "Felicia!"

"Father…" She spoke weakly. Her legs gave way but before Reno could react, Veld was by her side, supporting her with his shoulder. "I finally… got to see you…" She smiled.

"You look awful." Veld's voice, though tense with authority, held a tinge of affection. "Don't overdo it. We'll heal your wounds now." He nodded at Rude.

But Elfe held out a hand to stop Rude from retrieving his Materia. "Dad, thank you. But wait. I don't deserve to live."

"What are you saying?" Asked Veld in genuine surprise.

"I…" Reno saw that she looked away guiltily. "I have put the world through a lot of trouble."

"Forget about that for now." Replied Veld gently. "You can atone later."

"We'll help." Tseng added softly.

Reno looked around, having a bad feeling that they were being watched. "The army's still after us, yo." He said, turning back at them and stating the fact simply.

Rude nodded in agreement. "Let's get out here while we still can."

As Tseng nodded and instructed them to get onto the truck, a loud voice boomed. "Don't move!"

They froze, hearts pumping at being discovered. From the corner of his eye, Reno saw two Shinra infantrymen approaching and spun around to face them. You glowered at them, half expecting them to take a step back in fear. They didn't.

"For the crimes of providing support to the anti-Shin-Ra organization AVALANCHE along with protecting the criminal Veld, President Shinra has declared the Turks outlaws." One of the infantryman declared and raised his rifle. "By orders directly expressed by the President, we shall hereby execute the Turks!"

Reno scoffed at the surrounding soldiers, increasing as the soldier spoke. "Looks like we've been found." Rude tugged his gloves and grunted, signalling that he was prepared to fight.

From beside Tseng, he hear Veld say, "Everyone… I'm sorry…" and Elfe saying something along the lines of this being her fault that everyone was doomed.

"Don't worry," Assured Tseng to Veld and Elfe, cocking his head at Reno and Rude. Rude's furrowed brow meant serious business, while the hungry look in Reno's face showed that he was more than ready to fight back. "We'll get out of this. We're the Turks."

* * *

><p>1730 hours<p>

Sneaking out of the headquarters took the Turks sometime, due to the high security and tight surveillance. When all the Turks gathered in one of the small alleys in Sector 8 (Upper Plate), it was evening. However, the crowd on the streets paid no attention to the odd group of people with their belongings.

"I wonder where are Tseng and the others," Meia wondered aloud. "Should we call them?"

"No, it's too dangerous." Replied Kido.

Leia agreed. "They'll call us once it's clear on their side. We'll first split up and rest for the night."

The decision as to where the Turks will reside for the night was easy. The girls will be staying in Alana's house. Haato, Kido and Mason will follow Rod to his old house, where he would try to contact some of his old biker gang members to help for tomorrow.

"Don't give me that holier-than-thou look, KK!" Rod complained when KK raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not as if I am leaking company secret! And not that it matters anymore…"

According to Alana (and then supported by Meia), her sister, Elena, has a safehouse in the Sector slums where she trained after school. Elena didn't seem to mind the Turks using the empty house, so the remaining Turks (which is Legend and Jasper) will reside there. The area was also designated to house Shears, Tseng, Rude, Reno, Veld and Elfe when they joined them later.

"May I…" Asked Meia shyly. "May I return to Sector 4?" Upon feeling the gazes of everyone turning to her, she quickly explained. "I just want to go back to the Sector 4 pavilion and be there again. Just one night…" She rubbed her arms against the chill of the night. "Who knows when I'll be able to see it again?" She murmured. "Not with Shinra hounding on our backs."

"Meia has a point." Nodded Cissnei. "I'll be with her then. She won't be alone, and splitting the team up further will mean less chance of ambush."

Meia wanted to argue as if to assure Cissnei that she would be fine on her own, but she reasoned that it wasn't the time to want things her way. She thanked Cissnei when Alana nodded.

"Well," Alana said, picking up one of the bags. "My father will be driving this way soon. We can unload our belongings in Elena's safehouse. It will be safe." Just as the words left her mouth, a small truck rolled to a stop just a road away. "Let's go."

While the Turks picked up their bags, Meia noticed the nunchaku-Turk looking at his surroundings mournfully. "… I can't believe…" Said Jasper in a tone that has lost much of its usual enthusiasm. "I can't believe that we're really running away."

Meia touched his arm gently. "Would you have it differently?" She asked. "If we could turn back time and allow everything to happen, back to the point where Veld met Elfe for the first time… And you were there… Would you have stopped him?"

Jasper stared at Meia sadly, but then he suddenly gave a dry laugh. "Huh."

"What is it?" Meia looked at Jasper questioningly.

"I... I once met a man years ago," He said slowly, trying to recall the events as vividly as possible. "Before Haato's coma."

Meia nodded. "What about it?"

"He was an aspiring astronaut…" Jasper's handsome, furrowed face broke into a smile as he thought of his acquaintance. "Yet on the day of the Space Rocket Launch, he aborted the launch in order to save someone."

Meia listened intently, now knowing which incident he was talking about.

"He said... He said to me that his dreams are most important to him, but that mechanic that he aborted the mission for was a human life." Jasper chuckled to himself. "He even said that he would do it all over again even if given the second chance." He looked at Meia. "I didn't quite get it then, me being the greenhorn idiot that I was."

Meia chuckled as well. "I doubt I would understand it either, if I were there." She said humbly.

"But when you asked me the question just now…" Jasper looked at Meia. "I realised… No, I wouldn't. I hate it that things are the way they are now, but no way would I sacrifice a father's reunion with his daughter just so that we can take the easy way out."

Meia stifled a laugh. "I meant that as a rhetorical question, Jasper." She grinned. "I definitely didn't think that you're really considering it."

The handsome blonde smiled at her. "You're right. We have been labelled as the heartless weapons of a bloodsucking tycoon. Dogs of Shinra." Jasper grinned. "Who's to know that if we defeat Zirconiade tomorrow, we are actually saving millions of lives around the Planet?" He swayed his head and allowed the thought to settle in his head.

Meia grinned. "Nope, I doubt anyone will ever believe that the money-loving, heartless Turks will risk their lives to save the Planet."

"Then again, knowing how ugly these people can get, they'll say that we're doing this so that our own lives won't be forfeit." Jasper grinned, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Yo!" They heard Mason call from a distance. "You two intend to play tea-time chitchat and let us do all the work? Or are you going to help out?" He asked good-naturedly.

Meia and Jasper looked at each other and chuckled together. The topic was dropped as the two young Turks ran towards the truck to help their friends with Rod's bulky motorcycle parts.

* * *

><p>1800 hours<p>

The President of Shinra, Leon Shinra, leaned on his shiny table top (polished promptly during his lunch break everyday) and looked at his son. Over the past 4 years his son did not seem to change in his appearance. _Perhaps a shave, or a good haircut will do him good._ He thought. Despite the lack of physical change, there burned something new in the eyes of the once-exiled Vice President of Shinra. President Shinra had spotted that new hunger in Rufus' eyes with interest.

"Welcome home, son." Leon Shinra said. Rufus only stared back at his father, though it did not faze the President at all. "Now, why don't you tell me: What were your four years of penitence under the Turks' care like?"

His son laughed dryly. "I hated you for what you'd done at first," He spat, glaring at President Shinra as he did so. "But now I daresay I'm grateful. It's thanks to you that my view of the world has changed. I've learned so much in my time alone."

President Shinra narrowed his eyes at his son. His repentance seemed too easy, it was suspicious. Yet, the usual rebellious look on his son's face remained. Rufus was scheming and manipulative, like President Shinra. Yet, Rufus held a mysterious side of him that he refused to show anyone, not even his father. No, President Shinra will not allow his boy to ride on his head and control him. Not without his permission.

_I'll have to observe the boy myself. _President Shinra thought. _If he really is worthy and has changed, time will tell. For now..._

President Shinra sat back on his chair with a deep breath. Although his son has been successfully rescued, there were no signs of the Turks. He intended to catch the Turks unaware. However, the place that was the Turks' headquarters was empty.

Not just empty of people. It was empty.

The Turks, as if predicting that he would be after them today for their heads, had fled carrying all their belongings. He found his son, Rufus, in their residential quarters. So that was where the Turks (under his orders) have kept Rufus the past four years (how could he not have thought of that?). Rufus reigned ignorance as to where the Turks went, but it probably wasn't a wise choice to grill his son for answers.

All chances of nabbing them and killing them slipped out of his fingers, but President Shinra was not going to give up. Perhaps, he will have to try and get answers from his son using the soft approach.

He sighed and swiveled his chair to face the window behind his desk. "It's unusually bright outside tonight." Indeed, he could not see clearly what was happening, but it seemed that the dark Midgar sky was much lighter than usual. "The light that shines out there tonight is like the future of the Shin-Ra Company. As it stands right now, the only thing getting in the way of that future…" Shinra turned to regard his son seriously. "Is the Turks."

Rufus nodded. "Father, er, no…" He corrected himself. "Excuse me. Mr. President, I have a proposal for you: one that will surely ensure the glory of this company."

President Shinra raised his eyebrows. What was his son up to now? "What is it? I'm listening." He grunted.

* * *

><p>1805 hours<p>

Sector 4 was just like how she remembered.

"Gee, do you really live in this kind of place when you were young?" Cissnei asked softly behind Meia.

Meia giggled. "It didn't look that bad then." She looked at the debris and found the old beatup truck. "There's where Sunny, Carmelle, Tihan and I used to sleep at." She looked at Cissnei expectantly. "Could we...?"

Cissnei nodded. "Whatever rocks your boat."

Not knowing when would Zirconiade finally materialise, they decided to take a nap, in case they needed to work through the night. Meia and Cissnei were accustomed to sleeping on rough terrain and less comfortable places during missions, therefore the truck was considered comfortable enough for the both of them. Neither were they worried about being mugged while they were asleep. They were more than prepared for any surprise attacks.

Meia weaved in and out her sleep in pockets of time. She finally opened her eyes, feeling restless. She shifted slightly and stared at her PHS. It was slightly past eight in the evening. Her heart sank when she saw that there wasn't any message from Reno. _What happened to them? _She thought. _You would think that he would at least drop a message or something._

"Can't sleep?" Cissnei's voice from behind Meia startled her. Meia turned around and saw Cissnei fully awake.

"I could say the same about you." Murmured Meia.

They laid on their backs, staring up at the metal plate above them. The artificial lights had begun to dim considerably. People rely on an occasional lantern to brighten their path. In the distance, one could spot a small window where the plate couldn't cover, revealing to the people of Midgar a small window of the clear night outside. If people were lucky, they could spot some stars.

Tonight was not such a night. As Cissnei and Meia stared out at the small slice of space between the slum walls and the metal plate, the usually dark night was lit by a maroon light – their reminder that above them, in an orb of energy, Zirconiade was in the midst of materialising.

"We don't have much time, do we?" Meia asked.

"I doubt so," Replied Cissnei quietly. "I'll say Zirconiade might finally appear latest tomorrow morning." Meia heard Cissnei shift slightly. "Then again, no one has ever summoned something of this scale."

They fell into a short silence, which Meia soon broke by asking, "You loved Zack Fair, didn't you?"

Since the day of his death, Meia never mentioned the SOLDIER First Class in front of Cissnei. No one did. Everyone had an intuition not to do so. A week after his death, Meia saw that Cissnei picked herself from her mourning, though she never dared to ask the shruiken-Turk until today.

Cissnei was quiet, until she answered with a question. "What about it?"

Meia didn't expect her to be so forth-coming about it. "… I'm sorry that I was not sensitive enough to notice."

"Forget it." Cissnei said, her voice bitter and sad. "He's dead. Besides, it wasn't me that he loves."

"… So all this while…" Meia pressed on. "The times that you disappear into the slums… And those times you were passionately looking for him… And when you found out that he was kept in Nibelheim…" She finally turned to look at Cissnei. "All this while?" Meia asked.

The hurt in Cissnei's eyes flickered, but for a moment. With a small frown, Cissnei turned her back towards Meia. "I'm sleepy." She said. "See you in the morning."

Meia knew that the conversation was over, but she couldn't help but wish that she could do something for her. Meia leaned closer and hugged Cissnei from behind. "Sister Cissnei…" She said gently, using the endearing name that she used to call the redhead. "I don't know if Brother Zack ever loves you, or anyone to be exact. One thing I know for sure, you were important to him." Meia smiled to herself. "Brother Zack talks of you constantly whenever we're together, more than any other girl. Maybe because he thought of me too young to hear of his romantic escapades, but I do know this: When he mentions you, he would smile and be really energetic. It's unmistakable that you were important. He sees you as an important friend, a necessity and encouragement in his life. So… don't ever think that you were just another girl in his life."

With those words, Meia released her embrace, turned back to sleep and ignored the extremely controlled sniffles behind her.

* * *

><p>Of course Cissnei was important to Zack, she appeared in his DMW :)<p>

More information regarding the sequel: Events cover from FF7, the two years before Advent Children (using the web novella 'On the way to a smile') and some events in Advent Children. I'm still considering if I should even write Advent Children :P

Will there be a sequel? Yes. I'm actually writing the chapters now, though I'm only at Chapter 2. I was tempted to stop after this story because… it's tiring, fighting a story for one whole year. And my life is not like what it is a year ago. I am starting work in mid-June. When I was an intern in the same workplace, I worked 12 to 15 hours a day, from Monday to Friday. I swear, I didn't have time to even touch the chapters! I'm hoping that with the new job, my job scope might change and I won't have to work as long.

Still…

It's probably better if I say that the sequel will be uploaded once every fortnight, instead of once a week… Until I know how to plan my new schedule better, which could be never because of new responsibilities. If you guys are okay with these sort of changes, I guess the show can go on!

I'm pretty excited because this sequel will not follow the game dialogue so strictly. Although it means more work from me, it also means that my dialogue can be more original. Not to worry though, I will slip in canon scenes from time to time to show you where Cloud and his troop are!

This week, I received a horde of reviews, and I enjoyed reading each and everyone of them. Thank you for quelling my Monday blues!

Thought you might want to know: We have 3 chapters left.


	60. Full Speed Ahead

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 60 – Full Speed Ahead**

4th October 0007, 2050 hours

Donovan ran out of the house. At seven years old, he was a mischievous boy who often brought trouble to his parents because of his behavior. Many were fooled by his charming features and combed back dark hair, but all soon knew what a troublemaker he could be.

He imagined how furious his mother would be if she were to discover that he had run away from home. He had told her that he was going to play with his friends. "Nah-uh!" He stuck his tongue out at the zinc house behind him. "Ain't gonna go back to the stinky house ever!"

Donovan tore down the slums of Sector 6, relishing the cool night air stinging his small face. He had chosen the day to finally leave his parents and seek a better life outside the slums. Maybe Don Corneo could employ him to be a lackey, he even brought a chopping knife as his weapon of choice. Nothing will stop him.

That was what he thought. Soon, he skidded to a stop and his jaw dropped at the sight above him. Dropping his 'weapon' and pretentious bravery, he ran back to his house shouting and crying for his mother.

* * *

><p>2125 hours<p>

Two sectors away, Meia stirred at Cissnei's soft and low voice. She peeked at the PHS and saw that it was a few minutes past nine at night. Why would Cissnei be waking her? Even while shaking off her drowsiness, Meia felt her heart sink, for there could only be one reason why they had to wake up. By the time Meia was fully awake, Cissnei was already checking her trusty shruiken, Rekka, for any signs of scratches. "Hey." Meia mumbled, rubbing her scratchy tongue against the roof of her mouth.

Cissnei nodded. "Someone has spotted Zirconiade in Sector 6."

Meia bolted upright. "You serious?" She stared at the redhead. "That's pretty fast…"

"That's what the slums citizens reported."

"Of all places…" Meia crinkled her nose. "Why Sector 6 slums?" Cissnei only shrugged in reply. Meia checked her PHS. There was no sign of Reno. "I wonder how Tseng and the others are doing." She murmured. "There's still no sign of them."

"You mean, no sign of Reno." Cissnei said with a small smirk, but patted her head reassuringly. "I'm sure that they are with the others. We'll see them later." Cissnei stood up and stretched herself. "Sleeping here is kinda fun, actually." She admitted.

Meia grinned. As they picked up their weapons and jackets, Meia took one last look around her. There were the slums citizens of Sector 4 walking around but none harassed them, and none that she recognized. Seven years must have been quite the change for many people, after all. Meia certainly couldn't expect everything to be exactly the same as it was seven years ago.

Her future was full of the unknown, she had no idea if after this incident she was able to remain in Shinra, or will she be killed. _The best way to live my remaining life is to revisit every place I used to be in. _She reasoned. _At least I won't die with regrets._

Meia turned to Cissnei. "Well, whatever happens now… Is up to fate. All we got to do is to work towards defeating Zirconiade…" She did a classic Zack Fair fist pump. "Full speed ahead!"

* * *

><p>Zirconiade. Even though Fuhito had successfully called upon the being to existence, it required lots of energy and time for the summon to even materialize. In the short while that followed after Fuhito's summoning, Zirconiade started to materialize over the Sector 6 slums, which was what the little boy, Donovan, saw hours ago. Once Fuhito brings the final Materia, the one embedded in Elfe's hand, to Zirconiade, it will be made whole.<p>

If Zirconiaide is made whole, it would be impossible to defeat it.

Over the night, Alana and the other female Turks researched endlessly on any scrap of information that could help them understand the enigmatic being. Their efforts were not in vain. Apparently, once Zirconiade starts materialising, it will be supported by four pillars of energy. They will have to destroy the four pillars before reaching Zirconiade… and they have to do it before Fuhito offers the last Materia to Zirconiade… rendering it unbeatable.

No one is aware of the predicament that the Planet is facing. It was only up to the Turks to decide the fate of the Planet…

2145 hours

When the Turks gathered in the Sector 6 slums, Meia saw no sign of Reno. "Where is Reno and the others?" She turned to Legend and asked.

He shrugged. "Beats me." He frowned. "They did not contact any of us last night."

Meia frowned as well. "I hope they are alright." She said, tugging her pigtails.

"We don't have time to do that." Leia said. "We'll check on them after everything is over."

Kido yawned and Mason gave him a slight grin. "I say after this..." Mason checked his watch. "Depending on how long we need to take down this… Shall we all grab supper or breakfast?"

Despite the tense atmosphere, the Turks smiled. "If we survive, that is." Laughed KK.

All of them stared at the path in front of them. The mysteries of magic never fail to amaze Meia. What used to be one of the walls demarcating Sector 6 from Sector 7 now revealed a path surrounded in cyan blue lights, similar to that of the Lifestream.

"This is really creepy." KK shuddered. "Wasn't this a wall?"

"The summoning of Zirconiade must've changed it… somehow." Rod tried to answer KK, but did it without much confidence.

Mason made a face at the dubious pathway. "Does that mean that if we enter, we might enter into a totally different warp or something?"

"I wouldn't dispel that thought." Agreed Alana. "It might be possible."

Meia stared up above them. Because they were in the Lower Plate, they could not see the blue orb of light hovering above the city. Still, Meia could remember how it looked like when she was watching it from the outskirts of Midgar. _Zirconiade must be inside._ Thought Meia. _And I suppose there isn't any other way to reach that blue light except through this path._

"So…" Cassie stared at the path and tilted her head, as if she could see the path better that way.

"This is the path that opened up when Zirconiaide was summoned…" Leia said.

Meia looked at the faces of her friends. For once she saw hints of doubt. _After all, who knew what this will lead to? Nevertheless… _Meia cleared her throat. "Everyone… If we use this path, we can get closer to Zirconiaide." Meia pointed at the path. "Fuhito's likely gone up this path as well."

Kido peered at the path and pointed that the path divided further into four ways.

"In other words, Fuhito went down one of these four paths." Jasper concluded with a grim nod.

"Seems like it." Haato sighed. "So we break into teams of two and head for the top?"

"Is that a competition I hear?" Cassie grinned.

"Aww come on…" Groaned Rod, knocking her head. "It isn't the time to compete!"

The Turks divided themselves into teams of two: Alana with Jasper, Cassie and Leia, Rod and Cissnei, Kido and Mason, Haato and Katherine, Legend and Meia.

"There are too many of us," observed Haato. "KK and I will search for Tseng and the others."

"Meia and I will be backup." Added Legend. "Call us if you need it."

"Are you joking?" Cassie grinned as she propped the shotgun on her shoulder. "What backup? I'm positively trembling from the excitement!"

Leia checked her watch. "It's time. Let's go."

"Check your equipment and Materia, guys!" Hollered Mason. "We have a long battle ahead of us!" With a choral hum of agreement, the Turks walked down the path, checking their equipment as they went.

Meia turned to Legend, who was already enjoying his cigarette. "What shall we do now?"

Flicking his cigarette slightly, Legend grinned. "We shall enter after them. No harm in doing so, right? Maybe pick up any dead bodies we see along the way..."

"Legend!"

"Just kidding."

While Meia waited for Legend to finish smoking, her thoughts travelled to Reno and the rest. She wished she could send a message to him asking if they were alright, but it was too risky. Sending messages might give them away, if Shinra were tracking their PHSes. She checked her guns one more time to ensure that they were fully loaded, hoping for the umpteenth time that her missing comrades were alright.

* * *

><p>Hours ago…<p>

Rude veered the Shinra truck, flooring the accelerator as he did so. The truck drifted along the curve of the sandy roads before resuming straight again.

"Faster, Rude!" His partner, Reno, urged.

Despite his irritation, Rude calmly replied, "I am going as fast as I can." As Reno fell back against the passenger seat with a huff, he furrowed his brow and tried to focus. Reno's behaviour was reasonable, albeit irrational. Rude checked his watch, telling him that it was half past six.

Just over an hour ago, Veld and Elfe were reunited, but it was short-lived after they were discovered by Shinra soliders. Reno and Tseng managed to hinder most of the soldiers while the rest climbed onto the Shinra truck, but they were only stalling for time. They had been on the run since, the dark roads being brightened because of the blindingly blue light hovering above Midgar.

Reno stared out of the window. "It's kinda beautiful, yo?" He commented lightly.

"Not when the lives of millions are at stake." Replied Tseng calmly from behind.

Reno turned and made a face. "I know, I know." He grumbled. Elfe fell asleep from exhaustion the minute they started driving and Veld, in his relief of being with his daughter, finally succumbed to sleep as well. "... Must've been a joy huh?" He said softly to himself. "To be reunited with someone you love."

Rude and Tseng fell silent, not knowing what to say. Rude fixed his eyes on the road and Reno saw Tseng's jaw tighten.

_Huh._ He wondered about Tseng's expression. Rude, he understood. After all, the loss of Chelsea was something irreversible, even if it was years ago. _But does Tseng even like anybody?_

His thoughts were interrupted by Tseng's voice. "I'm sure you'll see Meia very soon." The leader of the Turks said coolly.

Reno coloured. "I'm not thinking about that!" He protested.

"Nevertheless... be prepared to fight to our deaths..." Tseng's frown deepened. "It could mean that we have to sacrifice things that we have and love."

Reno stared at Tseng, puzzled. He soon turned back to face front. "I won't have anyone take Meia away from me." He found himself muttering before he felt his consciousness slip into nothing.

* * *

><p>2200 hours<p>

Upon walking onto the path, Meia immediately felt a strange tingling that she knew could only be magic. She stared at Legend, who nodded as if he acknowledged it as well. Behind them, the world that was Sector 6 rippled behind them, as if immersed with honey.

"Weird times call for weird things." Was Legend's light reply.

They traversed the sandy path, feeling self-conscious that in the real world they would have hit the Sector 6 wall, yet in here they were walking on. They chose the path that Cassie and Leia had earlier on chosen and continued walking. The sandy path soon revealed a green cobblestoned walkway, but the walkway soon became uneven, with stones and blocks jutting out the way and tripping Meia on many occasions.

"Hmph." Legend gave an amused look as he caught Meia by the arm as she tripped again. "I suppose you will be badly injured from tripping over these blocks, before we can even find Zirconiade." Meia only grinned sheepishly and chided herself for not being careful enough.

In front of them were two circles of green lights, swirling mysteriously. Meia wondered aloud her doubts about the rings while Legend walked to the left one. "This one?" He suggested.

"Why are you so confident that it's this one?" Meia cocked her head to the side and stared at both rings. They looked the same, anything but safe. Meia guessed that the choice of either rings will be based on sheer luck rather than analysis.

Legend shrugged. "I'm just following my gut instincts."

Meia considered his words. "You're right, there isn't time to think and reason anyway." She took a step towards the left ring. "Even if this is not the way, I'm sure that we will find our way around and we can catch up with Cassie and Leia."

* * *

><p>Or so Meia thought. Ahead of Meia and Legend, Cassie was getting extremely frustrated. "Everything looks like the same here." She grumbled and stared at the uneven stoned paths and green lights. Cassie swore that she had probably run the same walkway three times. "I'm starting to get a little bored now."<p>

Leia nodded, just a few paces behind her. "It feels like we've been running in circles. I hope the next place we end up in is different."

"So do I."

They ran and fought for what seemed like another hour before Cassie squatted down to catch her breath. Leia stood, panting slightly. "Do you suppose we should turn back?" She suggested.

Cassie could only give Leia a look of horror when her PHS rang. It was Kido. "How are things on your end?"

Cassie groaned into the PHS. "We can't even begin to figure out where Fuhito went in this maze. How about you?"

"It's the same."

_Great._ Cassie thought. _Just great. _"Weeell... Keep in contact. Let me know if something happens."

"Of course." With that, the call ended.

* * *

><p>"I must say," Grinned Meia as she jogged (now with much gracefulness) down the stony path. "We have been pretty lucky in our choice of which rings to enter."<p>

The choice of choosing which green rings to enter was important. The rings were teleport rings sending them to various places of the maze. The wrong choice (as they found out later on) often led them into hordes of shadow creatures that would take them a lot of time to eliminate. She was glad that she had taken Legend's gut instincts on which ring to enter. For most part, they met minimal monsters.

Legend only smirked. "Would you be glad if I said that all credit goes to this?" He lifted his necklace from inside his shirt and revealed its pendant.

Meia gasped. "An amulet?" It was rare to encounter one in Midgar, since there wasn't any seller who had these luck-imbued accessories.

"Found it in a Mideel shop last week." He jiggled it a little before returning it into his shirt. "The shopkeeper said that it brings luck to its wearer so to humour him, I bought it." He flashed Meia a triumphant smile. "Looks like it does work, huh?"

She laughed. "No wonder we have been so lucky!"

"Your luck ends here." A voice ahead of them said.

They skidded to a stop, which was a challenge in itself thanks to the rough floors. Meia stared coldly at the man in front of them. "So I've found you." She spat with enough venom in her voice.

Fuhito regarded them aloofly. "I was wondering if I would see you." He said mildly. "Haven't you learnt your lesson? You are no match for me." He swung his rifle from side to side. "In the end, you're just going to beg me for your life..." He smiled maliciously. "Just like how your father begged me, when I was pointing this very rifle at his throat, to spare his life."

"My father did not beg you to spare his life!" Meia spat.

"Oh?" Replied Fuhito in a mocking tone. "And how would you know that?"

"You-!"

"Meia," Legend warned. "He's trying to agitate you. Control yourself."

Taking a deep breath, Meia took a step forward. "I know that my father died a dignified way, simply because I know he is a noble man. He wouldn't want to beg the likes of you for his life." She looked at Fuhito squarely. "I don't need proof. I simply believe." She narrowed her eyes. "As such, I won't let you go just like this!" She declared. "Not only have you taken my father away, you slander him with such demeaning words! You will pay for your actions. Besides, we have yet to settle our score on the highway."

"Careful, Meia," Legend warned again, this time sounding more worried. "He looks a little weird."

"I would take his advice if I were you." Fuhito said courteously, but the condescending glance that he gave Meia told her that he was anything but polite.

"Thanks but no thanks." Meia said stoically to Fuhito. "Legend, back me up!" With a roar, she charged at Fuhito. Fuhito simply clicked his tongue and easily stepped aside. Meia swung her left fist at him at that moment. To her surprise, Fuhito caught her fist neatly and pushed her away.

She groaned as she felt the rough floor scrap against her uniform. _Thank goodness I had some sense to wear my blazer today. _She grimaced.

Legend immediately sprang into action. Reaching into his blazer pocket, he threw out mini explosives at the tactician. Fuhito tried to swat the cherry-sized bombs away but it exploded upon impact. Fuhito bent over and coughed from the thick smoke, Legend gained distance and managed to knock Fuhito onto the floor once he was close enough.

Seizing the chance, Meia shouted, "Bio!"

Green swirls of toxic fumes surrounded Fuhito, but Fuhito merely smirked and pinched his nose. As long as it wasn't a nasal inhalation, one would not be poisoned by the spell. "Good idea, but I'm afraid that it isn't very effective."

The smoke soon thinned out, revealing to Fuhito a grinning Meia. "I guess I have to catch you unaware then." She sent Legend a look and instantly, they moved together. Legend threw another minibomb at Fuhito. This time Fuhito knew better than to swat it away. He dodged and the bomb exploded harmlessly. Using his rifle, the man fired a shot at Legend.

"Legend!" Meia cried but heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that he was fine, but flinched when she realised that Fuhito was directly in front of her.

"Please worry about yourself first." Fuhito smirked and swung the rifle down on her head. Meia quickly shifted to the side but she was still hit on her left shoulder. Groaning in pain, Meia aimed her gun at Fuhito and fired a shot by his ear. Fuhito's hands shot up to his ears to cover the noise and Meia shouted the poison spell again. Fuhito quickly backstepped and was soon out of range. Chuckling, he said, "Impressive, but you need to do better than this."

Meia smirked. "That's good to hear. Because one thing you should know..." She rubbed her aching shoulder. "I adapt to changes well!" With that, she stretched her hand towards Fuhito. "Blizzaga!"

Ice rapidly formed by the feet of the tactician, ensnaring him by his ankle. Muttering a curse, Fuhito rammed the back of his rifle at the ice with little success; the ice chipped but did not shatter.

Legend took the chance and ran towards Fuhito. "Take that!" He bellowed and tossed a stick of dynamite at Fuhito. Unfazed, Fuhito swung his rifle and batted the dynamite as if it was a baseball. "... Perfect." Legend drawled sarcastically, pushing his sunglasses against his nose. "I don't recall that it's legitimate to use a rifle this way!"

"Doesn't matter!" A girlish voice beside him spoke. "I'm going to take him down once and for all!" Legend turned and saw Meia running towards Fuhito, her guns drawn. She shot two shots at Fuhito, of which one hit his leg successfully. "Here's another!" She declared. The next two bullets grazed his left arm.

Cheered, Legend threw his minibomb at Fuhito. However, this time the minibomb exploded... at the feet of Fuhito. "No!" He cried but it was too late. The ice that initially trapped the feet of the AVALANCHE member broke and Fuhito calmly stepped out. "I'm sorry, Meia!" He looked at Meia apologetically, but frowned as he saw her laughing instead.

"I find your mistake ingeniously comical." Fuhito commented lightly. He took his rifle and leapt towards Legend. "I should thank you though." Smirking, he swung his rifle at Legend.

The bombmaster leant back to avoid the impactful swing. "Erm, Meia?" He exclaimed, doing another backward roll to dodge Fuhito's kick. "Stop laughing and give me some help here!" He grunted and swung his fists at Fuhito.

"Coming!" Meia giggled.

"Hurry!"

Finally, in tandem, both Turks worked together and fought coordinately. Realising that his bombs will not serve a very useful purpose, Legend resorted to expert melee skills, much to the surprise of Meia. However, Fuhito put up an equally good fight, mostly dodging their attacks and occasionally, blocking the attack. He very soon divested Meia of both her guns. Meia was at loss until she remembered that out of some paranoid streak, she sneaked two steak knives from the pantry.

"I'm still not weaponless, Fuhito." She grinned, drawing the two knives from her trouser-leg and spinning them in her hands.

Fuhito regarded the 'weapons' and scoffed. "Your puny knives can't kill me."

"We'll see about that. Legend?" She looked at her partner. "Take a rest."

"But-"

"This is my battle with Fuhito." Meia insisted.

"The minute I see you struggle..." Legend said. "You can't stop me from intervening."

"You won't need to..." Meia assured him.

"Because I'll kill her before she could struggle." Finished Fuhito calmly.

"We'll see about that!" Meia swung her knives at Fuhito. She was not an expert like KK, but she had observed the knife-throwing specialist often enough to pick up some basic skills. However, basic skills were not enough to kill Fuhito. Fuhito sustained minor cuts on his cheeks, arms and at best, one stab at his stomach. The blunt edge of the knives did no fatal damage to him.

On the other hand, Meia received nasty injuries. Her head was light and dizzy, because Fuhito at one point, slammed her head with his rifle. Her impaired vision was detrimental to her judgements and agility. She could not dodge Fuhito's attacks properly, though she was thankful that she was able to form ice shields whenever Fuhito shot. Her cheeks and temples were traced with dried tears and blood. Yet, she refused Legend's pleas to help her. _I must... persevere... _She bit her lip, forgetting that earlier on, her lip was cracking thanks to Fuhito's punch. _I am very close to getting him into the trap. _

"Why don't you just give up?" Fuhito clicked his tongue. "At the rate we're going, you'll die before I do."

"Indeed..." Said Meia weakly. "But I'm not going to!" With a roar and a surge of energy that she knew not where it came from, she did a roundhouse kick and kicked Fuhito's rifle away. In his distraction, Meia finally found a loophole. "Bio!" She shouted with her might.

As the green fumes surrounded Fuhito, he merely pinched his nose. "I told you," He said. "Your spell doesn't work on me as long as I don't inhale through my nose."

"Sure your nose won't get it, but what about your wounds?" Meia grinned.

Fuhito widened his eyes and looked at his body. All the knife and gun wounds that Meia and Legend gave him were open, bleeding and exposed to the venomous fumes. "You!" He exclaimed. "You allowed me to injure you on purpose?" Meia shrugged weakly, but the smirk on her face was nothing but triumphant.

"Not bad..." Legend commented, impressed by what she did. He turned to Meia to find that she has fainted from her injuries and exhaustion. "Meia!" He ran over to the little girl and sighed inwardly when he found her still breathing. He searched in his pockets and found a small bottle of potion. "Good job, little Turk." He murmured, unscrewing the lid of the potion and tipping it into Meia's mouth.

Fuhito didn't have time to bother with the Turks. The wounds on him began to react violently to the poisonous gas. Fuhito groaned at the pain. He grabbed the rifle lying nearby and cast "Cure" on himself. "No antidote..." He murmured, feeling around his uniform for one.

"I doubt an antidote can help you either." Legend said emotionlessly. He stared at Fuhito. "The injuries that she dealt on you will take more than just an antidote. So much for my help, huh?" He grinned at the unconscious Turk. "My nickname, Death God of the Battlefield, is under contention now."

"... I... I can't..." Fuhito struggled to talk. Holding his rifle, he took a deep breath. Legend's heart sank when he saw that Fuhito cured himself again.

"But you know you are now handicapped, thanks to Meia." Legend pointed out. _So that was her strategy. _He thought._ Wear out Fuhito so that the others can easily defeat him. She knew from the beginning that she will not be able to completely subdue Fuhito._

"I can't allow my life to end now!" Fuhito roared. He ran towards a green teleport ring. "I will ensure that Zirconiade is fully summoned!"

Legend yelled. "No!" With a sharp static, Fuhito disappeared in the ring. Legend cursed loudy. "What would Meia say if she found out that Fuhito has escaped?"

Legend sighed and looked at Meia. Already Meia looked better. She'll wake up very soon and Legend would explain to her properly when she's awake.

* * *

><p>Cassie reached another area in the endless cyan labyrinth. <em>At least it's a new place. <em>She mopped her forehead with the back of her sleeve. _I'm just about to go crazy with this maze… And I'm worried about Leia. _She fixed her eyes ahead and ran down the path. _Fuhito, where are you?_

She didn't have to take long before she saw the former tactician of AVALANCHE; he was walking with a slight stagger. "Fuhito!" She roared and her eyes widened when she saw his appearance.

"A Turk?" He regarded her coldly.

_Gosh, what happened to him? _Cassie thought. She saw that he looked weak and there were many fresh scars, newly formed thanks to curative spells._ He is definitely not in good shape. One of us must've worn him down._

Fuhito did not look intimidated nor worried. "I suppose I ought to thank you for making the summoning of Zirconiaide possible." He said.

Cassie winced. Even with his injury, he was fearless and taunting. "Shut up!" She growled. "Who'd cooperate with you?" She dashed toward him, but he reacted quickly. He lifted his rifle and shot a beam at her. Cassie dodged the beam just in time, she could almost hear the laser buzzing as it whizzed past her. She groaned. _More high-techy things for me to handle._She groaned.

"Be quiet." Fuhito hushed. "Zirconiaide is in the process of waking from its slumber just up ahead." No longer caring if he was vulnerable to her attacks, he lifted his hands like that of a devoted cultist. "The rejuvenation of this planet is mere moments away. To prolong the life of this planet, all living things will return to its bosom once more. The Planet will be able to breathe easily after it is all over." He turned to face Cassie. "I won't let anyone interfere."

Cassie braced herself as Fuhito aimed but gasped as a large figure came from behind and tackled her out of Fuhito's line of range.

"What's wrong?" Cassie heard Shears say, his tone smug. "Done already?"

Despite being semi-crushed under his weight, Cassie happily hugged him. "Shears! I heard from Meia that you were uncontactable! Your injuries, are they all right?"

Shears gently pulled himself away from her embrace and got himself up, albeit a little shaky. "If it's for Elfe, this is nothing." Shears nodded. "Forget about me. Shouldn't you be worrying about your friends?"

"You mean…?" Cassie stared at him in horror. If Leia was killed because of her…

"Hey, don't panic." Shears waved his hands frantically. "She's alive. But she sure looked close to death, fighting three Behemoths was no joke, so I left her to recover."

_Three Behemoths?_ Cassie thought. _I shouldn't have left her there, but I suppose she wouldn't want me to do so anyway. _With much emotion in her voice, Cassie choked out. "Thank you. You saved her."

"Forget about it, I owe the Turks one anyway. It's thanks to you guys that I was able to find Elfe again." He smiled warmly as he thought of his short encounter with her. "I won't let Elfe suffer any more than she already has." He now turned to Fuhito. "That's why I'm going to defeat Zirconiaide!"

* * *

><p>When Meia woke up, she was greeted by a hearty pat on the back by Legend. He told her that she has been unconscious for twenty minutes. She was disappointed to hear that Fuhito managed to escape, but at least she managed to wound him deep enough to hinder him. She was also glad and relieved that the bomb-maker was not seriously injured. "We better get going." She said.<p>

"But you can barely walk." Legend frowned.

"We don't have much time to waste." Meia nodded, pulling Legend from where he was sitting. "Let's go."

"Huh." Chuckled Legend. "Said in the typical-Leia manner."

Now with determination to find Fuhito once again, they ran along the paths, until they saw a brutal sight. Three Behemoths laid in front of them. It was clear that they were dead. Meia shuddered. Whoever that tackled them at once must be deadly ally... or foe.

"Look!" Legend pointed at a figure lying near the monsters. "There's Leia!"

With a small shriek, Meia dashed towards the martial artist. "Leia!" She shouted.

The long-haired beauty opened her eyes weakly. "I'm alive." She mumbled.

Meia reached for her gun and cast a curative spell on her. It took Meia a few spells before Leia looked energetic, though her bloodied knuckles and legs told Meia that her internal injuries were far from recovered. "What happened?"

"Did you take these beauties down?" Legend asked with a low whistle.

Leia smirked. "Two of them."

Meia gaped at them. "Two of them all by yourself?" She exclaimed. "No wonder your fists are like this!" As Legend took out his handkerchief, Meia snatched it (much to Legend's surprise and protest) and gently cleaned Leia's wounds.

"I almost died while doing it." Leia answered simply.

"Then who saved you?" Asked Legend.

Leia gave a small smile. "Shears did."

"Really?" Meia stopped what she was doing and stared at Leia. "He's… he's alright?" Leia nodded and Meia sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." She looked around for the former AVALANCHE member. "Where is he?"

"He's gone ahead to help Cassie." Leia said. "And I should get going as well." She muttered and tried to stand up.

"Oh no, you don't." Said Legend, stretching a hand to push Leia down. "You'll get out of this place and rest."

Leia frowned. "You want me to abandon Cassie?"

"Shears will be with her, isn't it?" Legend nodded. "We'll give her a call and check on her, how about that?"

"I'm on it." Meia replied, already dialing the number. She pressed the phone against her ear and waited patiently. The PHS rang repeatedly, but Cassie did not pick up. "She… She did not pick up." Reported Meia worriedly.

* * *

><p>The fight with Fuhito was probably, to Cassie, the easiest fight that she has ever engaged with Fuhito. Whoever that handicapped Fuhito, did it well. Soon, Fuhito laid on the stone floor, breathing heavily.<p>

Cassie grinned to Shears, grateful for his help in the battle. She looked back at Fuhito, remembering that she needed to take back the Materia that was needed for Zirconiade's full summoning. "Let's retrieve the Materia." Said she to Shears.

Before they could take another step, Fuhito got onto one knee. "One obstacle after another… Standing in the way of Zirconiaide's awakening! I won't allow anyone to stand in its way!" He growled. "No one!" With a pained grunt, Fuhito pulled himself onto his feet.

Shears groaned. "He can still move? He's got more venom in him than a snake."

Fuhito chuckled lightly. "I would do anything for this Planet, even if it means giving up my own life!" Cassie stared at Fuhito, wondering what new tricks he had up his sleeve. Fuhito reached into his pocket and brandished Elfe's Materia. He spoke, almost excitedly. "I shall insert the Materia required to make Zirconiaide whole into my own body…" He looked up, where the massive body of Zirconiade was still forming from his four energy pillars. "And give it up in offering."

"No!" Shears roared but Fuhito had already placed the Materia over his heart. The Materia laid in his bosom for a moment, then it sank inside his body slowly.

Cassie took a step back, for Fuhito now carried a very malevolent aura and it… scared her.

* * *

><p>Here's a short short short sneak peek.<p>

_In the Shinra HQ, a meeting took place. Tseng wished he could fall asleep. But he couldn't. He was no longer a regular member of the Shinra staff. In front of him, Scarlet, the head of WEAPON department, was rattling on about the misbehavior of the Turks. Tseng hated to admit, they were all true, just less exaggerated than what Scarlet had made them out to be. There was no denying the triumphant smirk on her face._

_What would Veld do? Tseng thought. There were many things that he wished he could learn from Veld, but he no longer could, not when…_

"_Good work." President Shinra's voice interrupted Tseng's thoughts. _

"_President." Scarlet said seriously. "I think the correct course would be for the Turks to be disbanded and the three people who survived executed."_

_Tseng gritted his teeth silently. He glanced at the other juror, Reeve Tuesti, to see that the employer was solemn and quiet. Reeve clearly didn't deem it necessary for the Turks to be executed, but his opinion held no weight in this jury session._

_Tseng clenched his fists tightly. He was not going to let Scarlet disband the Turks. Disbanding will clearly lead to ultimate deaths for all the Turks once they figured out that they were still alive. He couldn't allow that to happen. Not to him, not to Reno and Rude, not to the escaped Turks outside of Midgar. But Tseng held his tongue, no, he must observe further._

_Leon Shinra considered Scarlet's words thoughtfully. "Well then, I will announce the verdict." The President stood up and cleared his throat. "The General Affairs Investigations Division, also known as the Turks…"_

_A solitary voice rang from the back of the room. "Wait."_

__There we go! Now that we're approaching the end, I'm running out of things to say, but I never cease to thank everyone for their support! :) Please read and review!


	61. Procuring the Last Chance to Live

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

**Chapter 61 – Procuring the Last Chance to Live**

5th October 0007, 0000 hours

In the formation of Zirconiade's awakening, the path that opened in the Sector 6 slums led the Turks into a new dimension that they all knew was in another world by itself. Inside the green and blue labyrinth of teleport rings and shadow monsters, the Turks navigated through in searchh of the four energy pillars to destroy. Once destroyed, Zirconiade will not be completely revitalized. Also, they were actively searching for former AVALANCHE tactician master Fuhito. He held the Materia that he drew from Elfe. The Turks had to destroy the Materia so that Zirconiade will not be in its full form. Meia and Legend successfully injured Fuhito, though now Cassie was facing a form of Fuhito much scarier and fiercer.

"What's happening?" Cassie cried out in fear as she stared at the mass of magic happening in front of her.

A dark light engulfed Fuhito and Shears pulled Cassie back in case it hurt her. When the light faded, Cassie gasped at the transformed Fuhito. Fuhito was no longer… human.

"Ahh. This is great." He stretched his thin limbs, no longer hands but large sharp blades. "This is the embodiment of the pact I've rendered with the Planet. I feel the knowledge of the Planet flowing into me, sharpening my senses!"

"What has he done!" Cassie exclaimed. Fuhito's face looked barely human, large veins outlined and traced his face. His hair stood, as if it had a life of its own. Cassie shuddered when she saw that Fuhito's pupils were constricted, almost as if he had no more pupils. Fuhito's garment was threatening in itself. Large blade-like claws replaced his hands, and four rings of blades encircled his forearms, though they do not seem to hinder his movements.

"Have you lost it completely?" Shears shouted at Fuhito. "You're not even human anymore. You're… You're a monster..."

Fuhito seemed to take no notice. "My sworn duty is to protect the Planet. I merely took on the most convenient form to achieve that purpose." He stepped forward and pointed a large claw at Shears. "Traitors, you shall die and return to the planet."

Suddenly, Shears disappeared. As in, vanished into thin air. There was no presence of anyone beside Cassie and it completely threw her back to realize how Fuhito could suddenly make someone disappear. "Shears?" Cassie called out but there was no response. "What did you do to him?" She cried angrily to Fuhito. "SHEARS?"

As if on cue, Shears appeared again, but this time lying on the floor and groaning. "Urgh." _What was that? _He thought. _I was in a different dimension of emptiness, and when I came back, all my energy is gone. I can't move anymore._

"Fuhito!" Cassie roared at the transfigured man. "You're responsible for all this. For putting my comrades through so much pain." She thought about the people who suffered under his selfishness. "Elfe… Veld… Shears… All of the Turks… Shin-Ra… The world! If you had never existed…" Gripping her shotgun tightly, she turned it toward Fuhito. "You will answer for all of this!"

* * *

><p>0025 hours<p>

Alana and Jasper finally stopped at a clearing. "What in the world…" Jasper gasped. "Is that?" There, in front of them, stood a floating object. A large, deep magenta pod, decorated with white lines and symbols. It crackled sparks of electricity and did not look friendly at all.

Alana lowered her gun, slightly. "We should take a closer look at that thing." She suggested. "Be prepared for battle."

Jasper swung his nunchakus excitedly. "Always!" He grinned. They walked toward the clearing when suddenly, shadow monsters emerged from the stone floor. "What the heck!" Jasper screamed. They immediately retreated and using the narrow path where they came from, they took down the three shadow monsters quickly and efficiently. "O-kay… So I'm not as prepared as I thought." Said Jasper in a rather subdued voice.

Alana frowned at the pod. "The shadow monsters will probably keep coming. We can't get past this thing unless we defeat it." She concluded.

The Bone Village native stared at Alana in despair. "Then what shall we do?"

Alana's PHS rang in response. "Please wait for a minute." She nodded to Jasper. "Hello?"

"Alana!" Mason spoke on the other end of the phone. "Where are you?"

"We are about to attack an unidentified objec-" Her PHS was pried from her hands and to her displeasure, Jasper spoke into her PHS.

"Hello? … Mason?" Jasper said. "We're looking at some weird pod-like thing. It doesn't look alive… No way? You serious? Hm…" Jasper looked to Alana. "Mason said that this is probably one of the four energy pillars. Once it feels threatened, it will swing a 360 degree surge of electricity."

Her initial disapproval of being interrupted dissipated with the news. "You mean to say that we can't escape its attacks?" She frowned. Without warning, she ran into the centre of the clearing. Jasper cried her name in terror but he soon realized that Alana knew what she was doing. Once the pod felt threatened, it released two beams of energy, circling around the pod once before it stopped. Alana saw more shadow monsters appearing once she was within range of hurting the pillar.

"Jasper." Alana said calmly, as she began to dodge and shoot the shadow monsters again. "Please tell Mason that the pillar of energy does not release an area of effect skill, but much rather two beams." She kicked one of the monsters and shot another by its head. "Tell them to avoid the beams by using ranged attacks. He's with Kido, therefore he'll have to handle the shadow monsters instead."

Jasper raised an eyebrow, but translated everything she had said to Mason perfectly.

"It's worth a shot!" the martial artist chuckled into the PHS. "I'll trust her, Alana's the master strategist." With that, the call ended with a click.

He immediately looked up and saw that the handgun specialist had already dealt with the new monsters. Alana gave Jasper a withering look. "I'll handle the pod. You will need to back me up by dealing with the shadow creatures that will appear. Don't stand too close to the pillar, it'll react by shooting two circumferential beams around it. If it does happen…" Alana frowned. "Just duck under the beam, or run."

"No problem."

"I believe you would need to explain your action of interrupting my call." Alana stared at Jasper steely.

Jasper coloured. "I'm sorry!" He squeaked. "We were kinda at loss… But I guess the fact that Mason called you for advice means… we're not?" He offered sheepishly.

Alana refrained the urge to roll her eyes. "Let's take the pillar down." She said, cocking her gun for battle.

* * *

><p>At long last, the mutated person that was Fuhito fell onto the floor. Cassie resisted the urge to fall back as well. Beads of perspiration soaked her hair and shirt, but her heart was relaxed and full of relief. In the distance, there was the sound of static being interrupted and then a roar of displeasure. <em>Could it be that they've managed to destroy an energy pillar? <em>Cassie thought, hopeful.

"Your existence is as significant as a scrap of trash." She heard Fuhito say.

Cassie groaned. "Oh come on, just die already!" She pleaded to no one in particular.

Fuhito again, stood up to full height. "… But I suppose even a small amount of energy will go some way to restoring the Planet." He began limping towards Cassie, his protruding claw pointing straight at her. "Now, return to whence you come."

_I'm… I'm too tired to fight back._ Cassie realized in horror. She stammered weakly. "I'm… I'm… not… going to let… let that happen!"

"This isn't over!" Fuhito roared. "I shall dispose of you! At the very least… Take you with me!"

He reared his arm for an attack. Cassie closed her eyes and forced her brain to bring up a "Meteor" spell… but the spell was too complicated for her tired mind to reach. Her mind kept slipping away instead of imagining the magic.

She saw Shears jump onto his feet. "The only thing… I can do now!" He said determinedly.

"Shears?"

Shears ran in front of Fuhito and grabbed him. He turned back and smiled at Cassie. "This is the best that I can do… Urk!" He choked as Fuhito sliced his stomach.

Cassie shouted for him but he could not hear her voice anymore. _Elfe… _He thought. _I'm so glad that I could see you again…_

(flashback)

_After receiving the message from Meia, he finally found her in a Shinra truck. "Elfe?" He shouted for her. He ran behind the truck, where cargo were usually kept and saw her stirring from her unconsciousness._

"_Where is this place?" Asked Elfe weakly. She tensed when she saw someone there, but relaxed when she realized that it was Shears._

"_The rendezvous point for the Turks. They'll be here soon with Veld." Shears told her gently, checking her face and hands for any wounds. Usually, he wouldn't dare to even touch her. But now was not the time for formalities. Not when his heart was bursting full of concern for her._

"_With papa?" Elfe's face brightened slightly, but fell again. "I can't see him." _

"_What are you saying?" Shears asked._

"_I have to defeat Zirconiaide." Elfe nodded._

"_Why do you know about that?" Shears frowned. _

"_I was barely conscious… I couldn't move… But I could still hear everything that was going on around me." Elfe's voice cracked a little as she continued speaking. "Everything that has happened is my fault. That is why I have to fix it." She looked at Shears and to his surprise, he found her in tears. "If I don't, I won't be able to live with myself."_

_Elfe tried to stand up but Shears stopped her. As she fell back easily, Shears marveled at how weak and frail she has become. Elfe was not the leader he used to know, yet he cared for her even more now that she wasn't strong. "You can't go!" Shears said firmly. "You don't have the Materia anymore. You're not as strong as you used to be!"_

"_Even so…" Elfe shook her head. "I can't just sit back and watch this happen." She stared out of the truck, the blue light where Zirconiade was being materialized in shone brightly against the night sky. "That light reminds me all too keenly of my guilt."_

"… _Then I'll go." Shears held Elfe by her shoulders and assured her._

"_Why, Shears?" Elfe cried. "Why would you go that far?"_

_Indeed, Shears asked himself too many times. Why was he able to give up everything he had, for Elfe? When Veld found him at the bottom of the Corel Mako Reactor, he could have started his life afresh by joining the Turks… Veld did suggest that on one light occasion. Shears would have gladly joined the Turks. Just that the image of Elfe never left his head. _

_Was it romance? Was it a brotherly love? Shears didn't know. Shears didn't have time to find out. There was only one thing that was clear in his head, regardless of the source of his motivation._

"_I'll crush everything that causes you grief." He said to Elfe seriously. "That's what I swore when I joined AVALANCHE."_

"_Shears." Said Elfe gently. To his surprise, she lifted a hand to touch his cheek. "Don't do this to me. Don't cause me any more pain."_

_Shears didn't understand why would Elfe feel pain if he went in her place. If anything, she would be safe with her father, far away from pain and misfortune. Did she think that he was doing this because of her? Well, he is, but he isn't going to tell her that. He grinned. "__There's no need for you to feel pain. I'm going because I want to. That's all there is to it. Wait in the truck."_

(end flashback)

_Elfe…_ Shears thought. _I hope that I was able to help save the world for once._

His vision seemed to slow as Fuhito growled in his face and sliced at his chest. Ignoring the blood soaking his coat, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a bomb. Legend had given it to him just yesterday in the bar, saying that it was one of his best explosives, capable of destroying one Behemoth without remains. He remembered Legend warning Shears that it was a prototype, the damage could be more harmful than useful. He also advised the former AVALANCHE leader not to use it close range.

_Who cares if I live now?_ He smiled to himself, still holding onto Fuhito with a death grip. _I've escaped Death so many times, fighting for new chances to live and survive. Now, I embrace Death knowing that Elfe will be safe. The Turks… please take care of Elfe. The rest is up to you._

"NO!" Cassie shrieked. Blood splattered everywhere as Fuhito hacked at Shears wildly, but Shears did not let go. Her eyes widened when she saw Shears pulling out Legend's bomb. "Shears, don't!" But she knew better than to reach out to pull Shears back. His intentions were clear – he was going to take Fuhito down with him.

Forcing her exhausted legs to run for her life, Cassie ran down the path and leapt just as the bomb went off with a deafening boom. The ground shook and then… there was none.

Cassie looked up. She walked back into the area where she fought and stared at the clearing. It was empty and clean, as if nothing had ever happened before. "Shears…" She bit her lip and choked with her tears. "Shears…" She cried over her comrade. Surely he was not a Turk, but he was an ally.

She wiped her tears and saw, just within her reach, Elfe's Materia. In the impact of Legend's bomb, it cracked. "The Materia… It's broken…" Her tired mind tried to link the implications and she found strength in realizing that there was indeed hope. Now that Elfe's Materia was destroyed, Zirconiade will _never _be in its full form. That meant that it could be destroyed.

She grabbed her PHS and sent an update to all the Turks about what had happened. "The only thing left to do is to take down Zirconiaide." She grabbed her shotgun and checked for damages. She smiled when she saw that there was none. "Shears… I won't let your memory end like this. The Turks will destroy Zirconiaide."

Nevertheless, Cassie felt her legs give way and she fell onto the floor, panting heavily and ignoring the throbbing pain in her head and arms. _I have no potions with me now. _She thought in dismay. _I better rest as much as I can so that I can take on the other enemies ahead._ Cassie turned her head and stared at the road in front of her. Walking down the path will bring her closer to Zirconiade. _I'm already this tired with Fuhito, how am I going to take down Zirconiade? _

… _Cassie, are you actually… scared? _She scolded herself. _Rod will never let you live it down if he found out that you're wimping out!_

Cassie smiled at the thought of Rod. He remained a close competitor, but a closer friend. Rod sought to make her life miserable, yet he was always there for her when she needed someone to talk to. Now would be a time that she wished Rod was beside her, poking fun of her weakness and comforting her loss. Sometimes she hated to admit it but… only Rod could do this to her without really annoying her.

She frowned at herself all of a sudden. _Since when do I look at Rod so… cordially? _She shook her head. _No more silly things like this in my head. There are many things at hand to settle._

At last, Cassie stood up. She was still not very battle ready, but she'll have to endure. "Everyone is probably there by now… I can do this. I must do this… No matter what the mission is, we'll succeed…" She spoke to herself. In the distance she thought she heard someone calling her name. "… That's what makes us Turks."

* * *

><p>"Rod!" Cissnei snapped. "Focus!"<p>

The lanky Turk blinked and stared at his partner. Muttering an apology, he stared at the shadow monster ahead and swung his EMR wildly. Rod was thinking about his first day of training in Shinra. He insisted that his melee skills were good enough and that he should begin trying out weapons. His arrogance paid off… in a bad way. Rod smirked to himself as he recalled how his ass was whopped up badly by the very person next to him now. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be humiliatingly defeated by a petite girl who looked like she had never lifted anything heavier than her shruiken. Turned out, Cissnei was pretty capable. In fact, she gave Rod an over-shoulder toss that had him bedridden for a week because of an ankle fracture.

With a badly bruised ego, Rodzen grudgingly accepted the combat training and soon graduated to using the EMR, since he was much familiar with rod techniques. The years of training with Reno paid off and Rod could handle monsters like these easily.

The last shadow monster fell, leaving Rod some chance to finally take a break. He watched Cissnei read a message from her PHS. "Any updates?" Rod asked.

"Cassie had taken down Fuhito." She said. "The Materia is broken, for good."

"That means… Zirconiade is not gonna become complete?" Rod asked hopefully.

Cissnei smiled. "We have a chance."

Rod fell onto the floor with a thud. "Good job." He sighed with pride for his comrade. "Must be tough."

"Of course it was tough, but knowing Cassie…" Cissnei folded her arms and brushed her hair to the back. "She will boast that it was nothing at all." Rod smiled at the thought and said nothing. Cissnei caught that smile and knew that her long-ago discussion with Meia was true. Cissnei reached into her pocket and drew out a small water canteen. "So… it is true, huh?" She said, passing the bottle to Rod.

"What is?" Asked Rod, reaching for the water canteen for a drink.

"You have feelings for Cassie."

Rod spluttered water at her statement. "Are you crazy?" He swore, staring at Cissnei. "What the heck gave you that idea?"

"… Definitely true." Cissnei observed. "Interesting."

"Don't use your emotion-detecting skill thingy on me!" Rod argued, covering his body with his hands as if he could hide his heart from Cissnei. "I'm feeling very naked now!"

"Funny."

They stared at each other briefly and finally, Rod relented. "I give up." He raised his hands in surrender. "When and how did you find out?"

"Meia was the one who thought of the possibility." Cissnei explained. Rod rolled his eyes. "No, you hid it very well, she's just being overly observant. Meia told me about it a year ago; I did not believe her very much." She giggled. "She has grown to observe more than talk, much like Kido, but not quite there yet. I give her props for that, though."

"Whatever." Rod muttered, returning the water bottle to her. "There's nothing going on between Cassie and I. It's just me being… me." He pulled a face. "Don't you dare tell Cassie!" He said, pointing a finger at Cissnei but a thought struck him. What if Meia had already told Cassie?

"Don't worry." Cissnei assured her partner. "Cassie knows nothing. She sees romance in everyone but herself." She peered at the rod-user curiously. "Aren't you going to tell her?"

"Of course not!" Rod argued. "She is not interested in me. She goes on and on about handsome boys like some Cloudy boy and that Zack… oh." He paused when he realised that he mentioned someone he shouldn't have.

Cissnei tensed at the name and Rod tried to rectify his words but she shook her head. "Fine, don't tell her then. Who am I to convince you otherwise?" She said softly. She reached out a hand to help Rod onto his feet. "It's just that… if I knew that I'll never meet _him_ ever again, I would have done things differently." She turned away and unfolded her shruiken.

"Ciss… I…"

"Shall we get back to business?" Cissnei asked. As she turned to face him, there was no lingering trace of emotion on her.

Rod shrugged. He knew saying more will not change anything. Cissnei was back to her 'business' face. That's what she was trained for: to execute tasks, withholding all emotions in her heart. Who was he to instruct her otherwise?

* * *

><p>Cassie ran down the path, her heart heavy and burdened at the task ahead. No words could express how glad she felt when she saw Meia, Leia and Legend calling out for her. Leia looked fine, albeit worn out. Meia quickly cured Cassie's wounds and gave her some potions. Then, with Legend's lucky amulet, the four of them continued the winding path, until they finally saw one of the energy pillars that Jasper mentioned in their updates earlier on.<p>

"Go, Cassie." Leia nodded to Cassie. "We'll handle it from here."

"But…" Cassie looked between the menacing pillar and them worriedly. "But what about you guys?"

"We'll be fine getting this baby down." Legend grinned.

"Didn't you say that you wanted some challenge?" Meia giggled. "Go and take down Zirconiade! We're going to be here supporting you!"

Cassie laughed. "Shirking responsibility, more like. But it's fine! I love a challenge anytime!" She swung her arm with gusto. "Zirconiade has got nothing against me!"

It has been minutes since Cassie left the three Turks to handle the energy pillar. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. _What is this aura I'm feeling? _She clutched her heart and cringed. "This unbelievable pressure…" She felt her knees buckle but she was determined not to fall. "There is definitely something ahead."

She picked up her steps and ran again, noticing with each step that her fear seemed to weigh on her. "I'm… I'm trembling." She muttered to herself. "I can feel the pressure building up…" She stared at the source of the uneasiness, but there was nothing that she could make out in the distance. "What could be waiting up ahead?" If it was Fuhito… Or anyone else with that amount of psychotic reverence…

Cassie shook her head to herself. "I have no choice but to carry on." She ran and ran, wondering why her head was starting to feel a little light-headed, but her heart felt like someone was tugging it off her chest. "Uhh…" She groaned. "It feels like I'm going to be crushed any moment now." She looked around her, but she was alone. "Where are the others?" She thought aloud. "I wonder if they are alright?"

Deciding that thinking will not get anything done, Cassie ran again. It wasn't long before she stopped, realizing that something was close. Very close. Out of instinct, Cassie stepped back and stared at what was in front of her.

_Zirconiade…_

Cassie stared at the massive summon in front of her. It was as tall as three trees, as large as a building… and intimidating. In the endless, timeless space, Cassie felt at loss. She could only gape at the monster in front of them. The summon that will render all things asunder.

"Th-This is what I have to… face?" Cassie choked out. "All… by… myself…?"

Without warning, yellow beams fell from the top and towards Cassie. One of them hit Cassie and Cassie could've sworn it knocked the wind out of her. _It knows that I'm here!_ She realized in horror. _Such powerful attacks. I can barely dodge the beams._ Cassie stood up and cocked her shotgun. "I'm not going to give up!" She yelled at Zirconiade. "I'm going to do this!" She declared, pointing her shotgun at Zirconiade. With a roar, Cassie headed straight for the Zirconiade.

Unfortunately, Cassie knew that she was fighting a losing battle when she saw that Zirconiade was absorbing all her attacks. Even though it was not in its full form, the summon was still a formidable foe. Seeing that she had no better strategy, Cassie was forced to retreat and she did it unhappily. She stared at the summon in despair. "Is it really hopeless after all…?"

From behind her, her heart warmed as she heard Jasper's voice. "Don't you worry!"

Cassie turned back and looked at her comrades expectantly. "Everyone?" She asked. "Are you alright?" Though the people running to meet her are only Kido, Jasper and Rod, Cassie had never felt so relieved to see them. Especially Rod. Cassie realized that she had been very worried about Rod. _It's because Rod can be such a weakling. _She told herself.

"Sorry, we got a little held up." Kido explained. "But we've just destroyed every one of its energy sources. So our attacks should be effective now."

"Ah, so that's how it is." Cassie nodded in realization. "Then we might just stand a chance! What about the others?"

"We haven't seen any of them yet." Replied Rod. "We've kinda separated here and there. Took me a while to find these two, actually."

"We've no time to waste." Kido urged. "We'll just have to settle this on our own."

Jasper nodded. "Guess you're right."

"Let's show that monster what we're capable of!" Cassie declared.

* * *

><p>0230 hours<p>

"All of you, out of the truck. Before I shoot you." Was the cold and triumphant voice.

Cursing inwardly for falling asleep, Reno clambered out of the truck and stared at the troop of Shinra soldiers. Beside him, Tseng, Veld, Elfe and Rude stood.

Reno was not going to let them see his uncertainty. Never. "These guys sure don't know when to quit." He drawled confidently, using his EMR to tap his back. Even if he's dead scared, he'll act.

"New orders!" They heard someone shout from behind. Reno saw an infantryman running towards his comrade and whispered something to them.

The head of the troop, the one who ordered them to alight the truck, nodded. "Understood." He now turned to look at Tseng. "The President has had a change of heart."

Reno raised an eyebrow at the solider. The President wanted them dead. What could possibly happen that will change his mind about taking their lives?

"The Turks will have their punishment suspended."

Tseng frowned at the news while Reno asked, "Whaddya mean?"

Not directly answering Reno, the head soldier only stared at Tseng. "There is one condition."

"I thought so." Reno heard Rude mutter under his breath.

The head solider left his gaze to stare at Veld. The former Commander stood straighter and stared back with unmatchable courage. Reno smiled to himself to see the soldier falter. What the soldier initially meant to intimidate Veld backfired instead. The head soldier quickly looked at Tseng. "... You must eliminate the leader of AVALANCHE and Veld!"

Reno and Rude stared at each other in shock. Pulling their weapons ready, they aimed them at the soldiers, who returned with equal armed hostility. "We ain't gonna accept that, yo?" Reno narrowed his eyes at them. "Right, Tseng?"

Tseng was silent. Reno turned to look at his leader, who said, "Reno, Rude..." Tseng pulled out the handgun swiftly and held it high. The soldier standing in front of Tseng was not prepared for his quick action and immediately took a step back in fear.

"Tseng?" Veld asked in alarm.

"Whoa!" Reno breathed. "Tseng!" From the corner of his eye, he saw Rude give the battle-ready signal.

"I understand." Said the head soldier slowly. "So that is your answer..." He scoffed. "Wouldn't expect anything much from you."

"Yes." Tseng spoke, not hesitating at the sight of the soldiers who now lifted their rifles at them. "As head of the Turks, this is my answer!"

Before Reno could understand what was happening, Tseng turned his gun and aimed it at Elfe.

"Tseng!" Reno shouted.

A short distance away, Haato and Katherine hid, between some bulky boulders. KK looked as if to jump from their hiding place to stop Tseng, but Haato held her back. "Let's observe and see what happens." He advised.

"But!" She protested.

"No." Haato insisted. "It's too risky. Anyway, if we show ourselves, we won't live to tell the others what happened here."

"Etch this into your memories!" Roared Tseng. "You are about to witness the end of an era." With a loud crack, he shot Elfe.

"NO!" Reno roared and Rude held the redhead back before he could do anything rash.

Tseng turned to Veld and bowed in the most respectful and humble bow that he ever gave. "Sir!" He said. "I am so… very sorry… But this is the only way." He explained, never once looking up to see what Veld's reaction was.

Rude saw Veld look at Tseng, half proud, half sad. "Tseng… You've made… the right decision. That is who we are." Veld explained in an air of understanding… and resignation. "That is the true spirit of the Turks."

"Sir… I knew you would understand. Sir… For everything up to now…" He stood to full height again and raised his gun at Veld. "Thank you." He smiled grimly.

"TSENG, DON'T!" Reno cried but he was drowned by the deafening crack of Tseng's gun. Veld staggered… and fell over. "… Tseng…" Reno stared at Tseng… and for once saw the cold, hard expression on his face. There was no trace of warmth, no trace of humour. Tseng's face was hardened with sorrow and burden, a face that Reno and Rude will become used to in the months to come. Reno fell upon his knees and wailed.

KK closed her eyes during the entire duration and turned to Haato instead. "Please, Haato." She begged. "I don't want to see this at all." Haato responded only by patting the knife-thrower's back gently.

The Shinra troops, clearly appeased by Tseng's decision, left one by one. Soon, it was only a soldier, Tseng, Reno and Rude. Reno was still crying, Rude hid his emotions behind his sunglasses and kept quiet.

"Where do you want to ride?" The remaining SOLDIER asked of the Turks, cocking his head at the last Shinra truck, responsible for taking the Turks to the headquarters.

"In the back." Answered Tseng. Rude glanced at Tseng. Since when did the Wutaian speak with such an emotionless voice? "I want to pay my last respects." Tseng said, nodding at the cargo section of the truck, where the corpses of Veld and Elfe laid.

Rude distinctively heard Reno mutter, "Respect my foot."

"Got it." The infantryman waved them off irritatedly. "Just get on quickly. We're going to be leaving soon."

As the infantryman climbed onto the driver's seat, Rude turned to Tseng. "Tseng…"

Reno finally looked up at Tseng. "It's… all… some kind of a… trick. … right?" He asked, hopefully.

To the both of them, Tseng offered no answers. He merely commented, "I'm heading back to the HQ. This was for the best. You should get on too."

Tseng turned to climb onto the back of the truck, but Reno stopped him. "Come on, tell me that none of this is real." He laughed nervously.

"If you're not coming, then…" Tseng climbed onto the truck and it drove off, leaving Rude and Reno behind.

"…" Reno grabbed his hair and yelled in agony.

Haato patted KK's back gently to get her attention. "I think..." He said sadly. "I think that we've seen enough. We'll go back and see what the others make of this..." Together, the two Turks left Reno and Rude.

Reno and Rude were oblivious to the fact that they were watched by their comrades. Rude looked at Reno wipe his face and stand up. "Let's go back to HQ and ask Tseng again."

"… Good idea." Reno choked out. Together, the both of them started running in the direction of Shinra Building. All of a sudden, there was a loud shaking. "What's happening?" Reno stared at the sky.

From last night, there had been a large ball of blue energy shrouding the sky of Midgar. When Rude turned to where Reno was referring to. The ball of magic cracked and pieces of energy fell off the sphere, like peeling paint. Although it was a far distance from where they were, Reno and Rude could see everything clearly. As the outer layer of the magical sphere fell apart, they saw the ancient vessel that was Zirconiade.

"Zirconiade is...?" Rude gaped.

"It's breaking apart." Observed Reno. _Good job, everyone! _He thought, ecstatic. _Those morons saved the world from obliteration... For once._ His joy faded quickly. He didn't know how the Turks would take to the death of Veld and Elfe... especially if the execution was done by Tseng.

Rude exclaimed. "What about the others?"

Reno smiled. Rude hardly showed his concern for the other Turks, preferring to observe and analyse behind his reticent personality. "I have no-"

His words were cut off as a shockwave pulsed across Midgar. "WHOA!" He yelled, lying stomach flat onto the floor by instinct.

Rude, who fell onto his knees in response to the sudden pulsation, looked up at Zirconiade. "It's falling...?"

Reno frowned at the dimension that the ancient being created. _No way... that world is disintegrating into nothingness? But are the others still inside? _"Guuuuyyyysss!" He yelled, but of course, he was yelling for only Rude's ears. Bright beams of light shot out of Zirconiade's body, and the earth began to tremble again. "Um... Rude?" He asked worriedly and scratched his face. "At the rate that this creature is going to be destroyed... The amount of energy released..." He made a face. "Forget the Turks, I don't think Midgar can even take its energy blast..."

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose. "... I think you're right." He said. "Then it's settled..."

"... We definitely need to go back to the company to help." Reno said sullenly.

They picked up their pace and ran, but not before Rude gave Reno a look that, while it was full of disapproval of Reno's tone, was full of understanding.

* * *

><p>Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but at last, Chapter 61! I like the chapter name, I thought it is aptly named. This chapter is written with me trying to show that everyone is desperate to live, even if it's for one more day. Also, I apologise for being lazy with the Zirconiade part. I am tired of writing fighting scenes and thus... left out the last most important battle of the story (facepalm). Still, I hope you guys enjoyed the battles. There will be more battles in the sequel, it's not going to be rainbows and stuff you know!<p>

UPDATE on sequel: The title of the story has been fixed, it will be revealed next week (I CAN'T WAIT!). The date of the story release will be announced over my blog as well so I'll keep you posted there.

Sit tight, my friends. The next one will be the final chapter to this story! :D


	62. Quest for Freedom

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

Last chapter! Thank you everyone so far, the journey is not at an end though!

**Chapter 62 – Quest For Freedom**

Kido, Jasper and Rod (carrying the unconscious Cassie in his arms) ran out of the portal and out into the Sector 6 slums right before the mystical path closed again.

"Guys!" Meia cried and ran towards them. "I was so worried that you guys will be stuck inside the Zirconiade world!" She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head violently as she said so.

"What's wrong with Cassie?" Leia asked sharply.

"She fainted shortly after Zirconiade released a shockwave." Explained Kido.

"We don't have time to waste." Urged Alana. "We need to leave Midgar… or at least get away from Sector 6 as far as possible."

"What about the slum citizens?" Asked Jasper. He looked around but found the slums empty.

Legend grinned. "Long evacuated them."

"That was what we did all this time." Explained Mason. "Better not be another global crisis that we need to evacuate people at such a large scale again."

Meia frowned. "We better go. Like, now."

They tore down the streets, being hindered only slightly by Rod because he was carrying Cassie. No one spoke a word. Even though the bigger problem of Zirconiade destroying the entire Planet was resolved, their own lives were at risk because there was no knowing how impactful the destruction of Zirconiade could be.

They've escaped Sector 6 and were running along the semi-empty land of Sector 5 when Cassie stirred. "… Rodzen?" She murmured. No Turks in front of them heard her speak.

"Hey, you're awake." Said Rod with a chuckle. "Good job on taking down Zir- No, you don't move a muscle." He warned Cassie, who looked like she was going to jump out of his arms. "I may not be a fast runner, but I can still do it."

"I can walk fine." She frowned. "Besides, your bumpy run is not comfortable at all."

"You are still weak." Rod said firmly. "You'll hinder us."

Cassie flushed in annoyance but decided to oblige and allowed Rod to carry her. "So… I suppose that we are running because Zirconiade is gonna blow up Midgar or something?" She asked.

"That's kinda what we are afraid of."

They ran in silence, just a few metres lagging behind the rest of the Turks. After a while, Rod spoke quietly. "Just in case Zirconiade's energy blast is too much and Midgar is destroyed, us included…" He gulped and concentrated on staring at the road ahead. "I… just wanna tell you that you've always been a very important person to me." Rodzen Daisa felt his face getting warm. "When you first caught me and my gang… I was grateful that you placed the charges on me instead of putting the young ones to blame. Those kids didn't know better, charging them will just ruin their lives… Then of course, I became a Turk and then I found out that you really aren't that bad… Hey, are you even listenin-?" Rod looked down and saw Cassie looking away. Her cheeks were flushed. "What's the matter with you?" He asked. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" She shot back. "Don't look at me!"

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Rod frowned. "I was trying to tell you how I fe-"

"Um guys?" They heard Mason call out. "I… I don't think we can make it." He turned back and stared at Zirconiade, still tremulous in the incoming destruction. "We are really in a tight spot here."

The Turks came to a stop. Cassie immediately squirmed to be released and Rod obliged. Some Turks noticed and came to check on Cassie to see if she was alright.

"… I hate to admit it but… we can't get out of Midgar at this rate." Alana said.

Jasper sat down forlornly. "Is this the end of us…?"

Meia walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing too impossible for us, isn't it?" She grinned.

Legend raised an eyebrow. "Meia…"

"Nevertheless, if we really die today…" Meia turned to the rest of the Turks, her comrades, her friends… And smiled. "Thank you for your support and love. I wanted to be a Turk, I was glad I became a Turk. Nothing can fulfill my life better than knowing that you guys were part of my life."

"Bah!" Mason scoffed, though he was smiling. "Cut the soppy story!"

"Oh?" Teased Cassie. "Then why are your eyes wet?"

Mason pushed Cassie's head playfully. "None of your business!" Cried Mason embarrassedly.

"Whatever happens…" Said Kido to everyone. "We'll do our best to survive. Let's keep moving."

The words barely left Kido's mouth when there was a loud explosion.

"Duck!" Roared Rod, grabbing Cassie to cover her as well.

The Turks fell onto the floor, bracing themselves for any impact… but there was none. "What the heck?" Legend swore, looking up.

Meia looked up from her fetal position as well. There were flakes of white floating down. "… Snow?" She stretched her hand to see what it was. However, the flakes disappeared right before it touches her hand.

"… Remnants of Zirconiade." Said Leia slowly, so that no one could miss out the joy and relief in her voice. "… I believe that Zirconiade has been defeated." She smiled her rare smiles. "Once and for all."

* * *

><p>"Guys!"<p>

Meia turned and saw Haato and KK running towards them. Her face brightened... and then her heart sank when she saw that Tseng, Reno, Rude, Veld and Elfe were not with them.

Haato squinted at the distance, where Sector 6 was. "What happened just now?" He asked. "There was some sort of... explosion."

"Zirconiade has been successfully defeated." Replied Cissnei. "However, the impact of his destruction was too great." The redhead turned back and stared at the sector that they had just escaped from. No one could've survived in that explosion. "Sector 6 has been obliterated along with it, but the citizens are evacuated. The explosion was contained within Sector 6."

Giving KK a brief hug, Meia asked if they had found Tseng and the others. Their faces looking solemn, KK and Haato repeated to the rest of the Turks what they had seen at the outskirts of Midgar.

"... This is impossible." Said Alana firmly. "Tseng admires the Commander very much. He would not pull the trigger on him... even if he was under orders."

Haato gave the gun specialist a piercing gaze. "Alana, I saw Tseng killing Veld and Elfe." He sighed frustratedly. "Times like this? Things that we once believe in aren't like what they were."

"So... what happens now?" Cissnei frowned. "None of this is making sense."

Suddenly, Meia's PHS rang. She checked the caller identification. "It's Reno." She said. "... Should I pick it up?"

A short silence fell upon the small group, for no one knew if Reno and Rude has changed their minds about leaving the Turks. Legend soon broke the awkward silence. "Go ahead and pick it up. If you can't even trust your boyfriend to hide you, then he shouldn't be your boyfriend."

Meia flushed. "He's not-" She decided that it was futile to argue with the grinning Turk, so she quickly received the call. "Hello, Reno?"

"Meia?" Reno's voice filled her ears and head, relieving the uneasiness in her heart that Meia didn't know existed. "Thank goodness you're okay! Is everything alright?"

The young Turk smiled. "We're all alive and kicking." In a few short sentences, she recounted the main events to Reno. Upon hearing that Sector 6 was levelled, Meia could hear Reno chuckle and comment that Reeve Tuesti, the head of Urban Development, will have a tough time rebuilding Sector 6.

"Meia." Reno's voice turned unusually serious. "Listen to me. Tell the rest... Get out of Midgar now. Don't ever come back."

"What are you talking about?" Meia frowned.

"The Turks are all going to be executed for fraud in the company."

"What?" Meia widened her eyes. "KK and Haato didn't tell us this!" The katana and knife specialist frowned upon mentioning their names, but didn't interrupt. Meia listened to Reno speak for a few moments' more, then she rephrased everything aloud so that everyone could hear. "So you mean that the Turks were initially going to be executed." She repeated.

"Yes," said Reno.

"But that didn't happen because our punishment is suspended."

"Yes."

"...Is that why Tseng shot Veld and Elfe?" Meia asked quietly. "So that our punishment could be suspended?"

For a while, Reno did not speak, as if he was recalling something that he wished not to remember. "I don't know, Meia." He finally said, sadly. "I don't know. Rude and I are still on our way back to HQ. But this is our plan." Meia turned on the speakers so that everyone could hear him. "The plan is that all of you are to flee from Midgar and hide. Don't ever come back, in case Shinra decides to go against his word and execute you after all."

"But what about you?" Asked Haato.

Reno laughed, realising that whatever he said could be heard by everyone. "Rude and I are going to head back to HQ to tell Tseng and the President that all of you have escaped. The President will likely issue a search, so..." Reno emphasised his words. "Don't. Come. Back."

"No," said Meia firmly. "You and Rude are coming with us."

"I can't, Meia. Rather... I won't." Reno answered gently. "Not while Tseng is here... I don't know what's with me, but I know somewhere deep down, Tseng is still the same Tseng, yo? We're going to stick around Shinra, Rude and I, in case Tseng comes back to his senses one day."

Everyone gave a small smile, but understood Reno's explanation. "We'll leave our belongings in Elena's safehouse," said Alana. "Bring your search party there. I'll message you on the location later."

"And I'll update you on the results of our report." Reno said. "Till then... I guess... there isn't 'till then', is there?"

The Turks were silent. After this phone call, the Turks will become exiles and thus become enemies of Reno, Rude and Tseng. Who knew if they were able to meet anymore? Jasper glanced at Meia, whose face was stone cold and staring at the phone, as if she could induce some suggestion from Reno.

It was Meia who finally broke the silence. "We understand, Reno. Take this as the last time that we're in contact, until further notice…" She took a deep breath to control her tears. "Please take care of Shinra for us. Take care of Tseng and Rude…"

Reno replied quietly. "Don't die, everyone."

"Could say the same to you." Answered Mason.

Everyone swiftly moved away when they realized that the following conversation was not meant for their ears.

"Meia…" Reno said. Meia switched off the speakers and pressed her PHS against her ear. "… I want you to live a happy life. Go as far as you can from this place."

"I will," Answered Meia.

"… I suppose that we will never see each other again, so Meia? I would like to say-"

"No, Reno." Meia said firmly. "This is not the last time we'll see each other."

Reno was silent, to Meia's surprise. She had expected him to argue how naïve she was and how the circumstances were such that such fantasies were to be hoped, not lived.

Instead, Meia heard him chuckle. "... If that's the case, when we see each other, we owe each other a good apology, isn't it?"

That was when Meia remembered that since the quarrel in the helicopter a month ago, they only made superficial conversation. No one mentioned about that incident again.

"Told you that we're going to escape." Meia couldn't help but joke. Now that things were as such, their quarrel seemed immature and childish.

"And your wish is coming true." Reno said. Meia could almost hear him smiling, but his tone was sad and regretful. "Your quest for freedom is coming to an end. Don't die, you hear me? I want to see you someday."

Meia's heart fluttered at his words. "Is that an order?" She asked playfully.

There was a short silence, and Meia imagined that if they were facing each other, Reno will say his words in his most serious tone, giving her an intense look that she will never forget.

"No," he spoke softly. "A promise."

* * *

><p>It was in Alana's house when Jasper felt a pat on his back. When he turned around, he saw Meia. She has changed out of her Turk uniform and Jasper realized that despite being her colleague for almost five years, he has never seen her out of her Turk uniform. Dressed in a simple long-sleeved red blouse and jeans, Meia looked as normal as any other girl in Midgar.<p>

She grinned and announced to Jasper that she had thought of something. In the small pockets of time where she reflected about her life (She thought she didn't have much time to live, she had argued then.), she thought about Cait Sith's mysterious fortune.

"I mean, think about it." She explained and recited the fortune word for word. "Fortune smiles upon my face, I'll encounter many saving grace. All these will happen before you die, but only if you are prepared to say goodbye." Jasper looked at her, still confused as to what her point was. Meia rolled her eyes. "I've been saved from death because of Zirconiade. I'm going to be free from Shinra's covenant, albeit not legitimately." Jasper noticed her shudder at the thought of being brainwashed and erased of her memories in Shinra. "These have happened, but I've said goodbye. Goodbye to Zack Fair… to my friends in Shinra." She turned and gave the Shinra Building one last glance, although Jasper knew that Meia only had one remaining friend who was not a Turk. "To my life as a Turk… To Reno." She mumbled towards the end, but Jasper heard it.

Jasper reached for her hand and squeezed it affectionately. "Though it does sound spot-on…" He began. "I believe that only you have the power to change your life and your destiny."

The girl gave her friend a sigh that told him that his wish was merely a whim. "Oh Jasper…"

Jasper made Meia look into his eyes. Meia has become a more mature lady from the first time he had met her. While she retained some child-like qualities, Jasper was starting to see new characteristics in her. Strong, confident… but still sentimental and caring, the very essence of Meia. "Meia," Jasper said again. "This is not the end of your life. This is not the end of your story. Being a Turk was just a chapter of your life that has ended. As long as your story has not ended…" He grinned. "You, as the author, have the prerogative to edit your story."

Then, Jasper saw the confusion and doubt clear in the hazel eyes of Meia Etsky. "You're right." She grinned with a twinkle in her eye.

"Perhaps Shinra might call on us one day and our 'sins' will be forgotten?" Jasper suggested hopefully.

"Oh Jasper, you can be so imaginative, I swear!" She giggled. "But I suppose that's a better thought than to mope around for nothing."

"Yes…" Jasper's look turned distant. "At least you have a choice of returning to Shinra if possible…"

She had not forgotten that Jasper made a deal with his father that when his contract with the Turks ended, he will return to Bone Village and be his father's business successor. Jasper's father had no idea that Turks almost always end up dead or mentally unsound. "Jasper…" Meia said sadly. "Don't be sad about returning to your family business. Be thankful that while Turks end up in mutilated deaths, yours is quite a happy ending. Go home, and start your life anew." She smiled. "We will visit you, and you can visit us, wherever we are."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Meia smiled, hooking his pinky with hers.

* * *

><p>As the Turks emerged from Alana's house, carrying their things, KK looked at everyone hesitatingly. "So... What happens from here?"<p>

"We hide." Alana answered.

"I know that!" KK laughed. "What I mean is that now we're somewhat free... What are you going to do?"

Everyone shared their plans, even if they seemed ridiculous. Alana will be going to Wutai to meet her teacher during her Elite Academy days. Legend will accompany her as well, since he still had an old friend to contact. Rod shrugged and said that he'll stay in Midgar, even if it meant running from prying eyes forever. Midgar has been the only place he lived in. "Nowhere else would be as comfortable as this doghole." He grinned.

When asked, Cassie flushed and mumbled something about returning to Mideel to visit her parents briefly. Jasper agreed and said that he will return to Bone Village. Jasper then extended his hand of invitation to whoever that had nowhere else to go. Kido and finally KK decided to follow Jasper for now.

Leia and Haato said that they will be traveling together. Meia smiled, knowing that finally Haato will be with the girl that he loved for years. Mason was returning to Costa del Sol to be a mercenery. Cissnei answered that she will be returning to Gongaga. No one challenged the idea, everyone knew about the romantic attachment Cissnei had toward Zack Fair.

"I'll be in Icicle Inn." Said Meia. "I've fallen in love with that place. I'm not going to go anywhere till further changes. Besides, Leia has allowed me to stay in her house." She nodded at the martial artist.

KK sighed. "This is it, huh?" She took out her knife and tossed it casually in the air, catching it as it landed. "We are disbanded, exiled, used and manipulated..."

"But still alive." Meia said with shining eyes.

Rod laughed. "The best gift for now, I gotta say."

They looked at each other. The relationships that they have built over the years will not be destroyed so easily.

"We will survive and live." Leia assured everyone.

"Nothing is too impossible for the Turks." Haato agreed.

Legend grinned. "And that includes living!"

"See you again!"

"Take care and keep in touch if possible!"

"Swing by Bone Village and say hi!"

"Goodbye!"

"Don't fall down too much, KK!"

Without much of a further word, they tuned and left on their separate ways. It would be a while later before any of them will return to Sector 5.

* * *

><p>Yes, it has ended.<p>

It's funny isn't it? After 50 chapters of words ranging from 3000-6000, the ending is so short. It was I thought it would be great to end it short. It mimicks Chapter 1 I suppose. Notice how the ending is just like Chapter 1 as well? I love dropping these easter eggs everywhere. You can find more in my blog (below).

Alright, the moment you've been waiting for! The sequel will be called 'Days of Exile', releasing on the 7th of July. Hope I'll be able to see all of you readers in the new sequel!

I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who has contributed to this story. Be it a review, a favourite, an alert, a research material, a suggestion, a criticism… without these things, this story will not be what it is. I will list down the names of everyone who has helped in some way or another… I'll write down as much as I can remember. For the full thanks, links and more, please refer to my blog (below)

Finalfantasy Wikia, Gunshot romance, Sorumian, Thelifestream, SilentTweak, Finalfantasy Neo Seeker

HcloudXIII, FFVIIExcavation, VincentValentineFVII – They are youtube users who have uploaded Before Crisis and Dirge of the Cerberus playthrough.

Kawree (from Livejournal) – She provided the script for the Special Episode of Reno in Before Crisis (her script is reflected in Chapter 27 of my story)

Also to these people!

Ancientbruises, Scribbler, redcherryamber, Vietta, Vix3.16, writerzRC, inu-shinai-kirara, Samantha Sheffield

UnchainedMelody94 – Without ever reading her story 'From slum to SOLDIER', I wouldn't have ever thought of writing a Turk story!

SquareEnix – The breakthrough pioneer, and therefore the best, storytellers of video game history

* * *

><p>Of course I won't forget the people who reviewed, faved and alerted my stories! I've kept every email notification… as far as I could. I am very sorry if your name is not found, it is quite hard to find everyone of you! My apologies if you are uncomfortable with me showing your names, I just want to show my appreciation by letting you know that I kept track of those who encouraged me (please PM me if you want, I'll remove the names accordingly).<p>

Aoi Kazuya, Tani Cullen, Fille des Fleurs, MusaBakaChan, Renrinrin, Ashj, Xenia-Merlo, Lucaila, sKitLZ-cHAn, Hikari Kurai, Dye, Hatter-Break, xXbluepencilXx, Forever Sunday, LilPrincess95, Garnet Redverne, Shadowsnow, DarkRex, ivyslade, szynka2496, Edward-Elrics-Girl, Bond Of Flame08, lilitachisama, SiriuslyObsessive, sof301, valeries26, TykiPyon, ichigolove28, GhostlyResident, evilmonkeyfishturtle, mwaetht, Lady-Bloody-Rose, MidnightAngel1095, PetiteSaki, Mashface, Lil' Witchy, Fran1993, mairaloveszexion, beatlesaddict, Tempest NightMoon, dragonsong93, Eruruu4, icanwalkonwater, LightDragon19, Lumihiutale89, 91nimsay, lillian knights, cecz, Red6, , WingedSadAngel, Shin Kamiya, FRAODD, adr91, RedTheAmazing, blazeking310, Nolies, XxxKimberlySxxX, Yachiru Hatake, Violet the Wolf, Talliya, una9641,

Samantha Sheffield, The Writing Artist, XXTakaraXX, midnightcrescent98, SoupieLuv, writerzRC, TifaRokkuhato, LoreilDarksky00, Orange2, Lady Lucrecia, Akirakei, LilPadfootChicky/SkyeRockette, Silver-x-Crimson, PhantomPanther, Broken Heart Aeris, FoxDemonGrl, Yue Fei, Cloudstrifefinalfantasy, Queen-of-Twilights, Dontgotaclue88, rukoyokunefan, jeddyybear, IAmTheRedOne, DevilMayCry28.

I wonder how many of these people are Singaporeans, and how many of these people are still around? Now that I'm typing your names down I'm thinking to myself… WHERE ARE YOU GUYS? XD COME CELEBRATE WITH ME!

Please read my blog (you kinda know the drill that we can't link websites so you know what to fill in in those dashes): aichioluv-blogspot-. There are many more easter eggs and full versions of my thank yous to everyone that I can afford the time to thank :P

Alrighty folks. Thank you for giving one year of your time to walk this journey with me. I only can hope that the sequel can continue to entertain you as well as this one did. Take care!


	63. A New Chapter Unfolds

**I Want To Be A Turk!**

A/N: Hahahaha! And you thought Chapter 62 was the end?

The following scenes are snippets of what happened within the week following Chapter 62. The scenes are not in chronological order. Enjoy!

**Chapter 63 – A New Chapter Unfolds**

In the headquarters of Shinra Electric Company, Tseng raised an eyebrow at Reno and Rude. "What do you mean, they aren't in Midgar anymore?"

"The search party found a building where our belongings were." Reno gestured at some boxes behind him. "Perhaps they left it there when they saw that we weren't leaving Shinra. I'm telling you, Tseng! No sign of them at all, yo?"

"I find it hard to believe." Tseng said. "We sent the search party to find the Turks as soon as I returned to HQ."

Reno shrugged. "It is what I've said it is."

Tseng frowned at the redhead. When Reno and Rude came back, Tseng ordered a full search on Midgar to find the remaining Turks. Reno and Rude each led a troop of Shinra soldiers to various parts of Midgar, but both parties returned empty handed. Tseng suspected that Reno or Rude might have tipped the former Turks.

"Sir." Rude was talking again. "Should we expand our search parameters?"

Tseng considered the option, but decided against it. "It is a waste of manpower." Tseng said. "If they know any better, they should be thankful that they are alive, and be silent for the rest of their lives." Tseng ran his fingers through his hair till they met his ponytail. "As long as they remain like this, I will not actively pursue them."

"Yes, sir."

Tseng turned to his desk. "Also, the hearing for our behavior will be scheduled on the 9th of December." He gave Reno and Rude a leveled gaze. "For returning to the HQ, I will try to ask the President to spare your lives. As for the rest…"

"They're missing in action." Completed Reno.

The Wutaian sighed. "I suppose I'll have to write it like so in my report. I do not guarantee that our lives are safe, even when we return to the HQ." Tseng said. "We will have to die if that is the result of the hearing." The leader looked at the duo. "I do not expect any complaints."

"Yes sir." Reno said.

"… I understand." Rude added.

* * *

><p>Just a few floors below, Scarlet leaned back against her chair and beamed in delight. President Shinra had given her the task of typing a full report on the Turks' behavior in the whole year. Everything relating to the Turks was in her hands to decide, Scarlet had never felt such power and authority, well, apart from being the head of the Weapons Department.<p>

She took her mug and sipped the strong, bitter taste of black coffee. _As long as my writings are reasonable and rational, there is no reason why the President would think that I'm writing the report on a biased viewpoint. Then again… _The blonde woman smirked at the thought. _He has been pretty angry with the Turks without any instigation on my part. He might issue an execution without my report anyway._

Being the head of the Weapons Department, Scarlet always held a grudge towards Veld because the Turks always had the bigger share of the company budget. Her department was clearly the group of people who needed the funds more to create bigger machines. Five years ago, her proposal of upgrading Sister Ray in Junon was rejected by Shinra because it "required astronomical costs beyond the funds available". Scarlet later found out that the funds were given to the rebuilding of Nibelheim and the obliteration of Modeoheim… all headed by the Turks.

_By taking them out, I will definitely have the bigger portion. _She smirked to herself. _Those Turks are nothing but a bunch of brainless idiots who follow orders blindly. But not me. I will lead this department and do well for the President._

Pleased by her determination, Scarlet pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and continued typing.

* * *

><p>The Turks' lounge was empty when Reno and Rude returned, although they felt emptier inside. The lounge was bare with only furniture and other supplies too bulky to be moved away. The floor was dusty, signs of an intense pack-and-flee.<p>

"… I'm going to dump my junk in my room first." Said Reno, surprised at how hollow his voice sounded.

Rude nodded. "About Tseng…" He lowered his voice slightly. "I doubt we can find out very quickly what is Tseng's plan. … If Tseng has decided to forsake everything and be a Turk for the Presiden-"

"No!" Reno hissed back. "We can't let him do so!"

"You know very well we have no say as to what Tseng would do. It has been the case all this while."

"But you gotta trust me, Rude! There's something inside that is still that Tseng that we know!"

"… Yet you cannot explain why he killed Veld and Elfe." Rude pointed out.

Reno held his tongue. Indeed, he could not explain the bizarre behavior as well. He scratched his head frustratedly. "I'm DYING to ask him like, 'What's up with you, yo?' but I can't do that. I don't even want to mention Veld to him anymore." Reno said forlornly.

"…" Rude shifted his weight uncomfortably and did not speak until Reno spoke again.

"Whatever it is," said Reno decidedly. "I'll stick by Tseng and help him wherever I can." Seeing Rude's questioning look, Reno explained. "I mean, I want to be with Meia and the others but I can't leave Tseng here. If Tseng wants to stay by the devil, I will follow him. Like before, I support my leader. If I have to become the devil to save Tseng's sorry ass, I'll do it."

The bald Turk looked at Reno with interest. It had been almost 9 years since Reno joined the Turks. Much of his aloofness and cockiness remained, but there was a glint of seriousness in Reno that easily surfaced whenever he needed to. Indeed, in the last few years, Reno has grown mature to think of many issues, even those unrelated to himself. Reno still made mistakes though. He will never hold the same maturity to be objective like Veld and Tseng. No, Reno was far too kind-hearted to be truly evil. Still, there was no denying Reno's commitment.

_He will be a good third-in-command. _Rude smiled inwardly, then he realized that with the removal of Veld, Tseng would be the head of the Turks and Reno would be bumped up to second-in-command.

"That is, if our lives are spared." Rude deadpanned.

The redhead stared in the direction of a sofa blankly, though he was not looking at the sofa per se. "You're right." He agreed slowly. "But we won't die so easily, yo?" He slung his arm over Rude's shoulder. "We Turks have lives as hardy as an Adamantoise! Those lousy soldiers will be defeated before they can even scratch us!"

Rude smirked. "Indeed."

"Come on," said Reno, nudging the taller Turk. "It's time we unpack our things and then we spruce this place a little bit." He paused and stared at the lounge again. "… Not as if we have anything important to do now." He said with a sad afterthought.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure that you're fine with me coming along with you?" Haato walked by Leia. Now that they were no longer Turks, they wore light clothing, a comfort against the heat of the Midgar sun.<p>

Leia narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course I am. What makes you think otherwise?"

Haato allowed a moment of silence to pass between the two of them before replying. "I don't know… You always seem to avoid me nowadays… Do you really dislike me so much?"

The martial artist seemed to be interested in staring at the grassy Midgar terrain all of a sudden. "I don't dislike you." She mumbled.

"But you would rather not be with me, isn't it?"

Leia frowned. "No, I-"

"ARGHH!" Haato's yell interrupted Leia. When she turned to face the katana-user, she saw a Levrikon attacking him. Haato fell onto the floor and he raised his hands to block its attacks. The bald ostrich-looking monster pecked continuously at Haato. "My back!" He cried.

"Haato!" Leia cried. She ran forward and with a few powerful kicks, she subdued the monster easily. _I don't remember seeing so many of these monsters years ago. _She thought. There were more Kalm Fangs than Levrikons. She supposed that with time, the ecosystem will evolve and shift. Leia glanced at Haato. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly. She knelt down beside him and checked for any injuries.

"I'm fine…" Haato said, panting. "It's just my old injury…"

"Old injur…"

Before Leia could react, Haato reached out his arms and pulled Leia close to him. "My old injury in my heart, Leia." He said, breathlessly.

"Haato." Her voice was deadly, though Leia did not struggle yet. "I should have known that you were going to trick me into thinking that you were injured. Release me, before I kick you."

"No."

"Haato!" Leia growled, now not bothering to hide her irritation.

"I won't release you, Leia, until you hear me out." Haato held the long-haired Turk tighter. "I've always been in love with you. Don't run away anymore, Leia. I know how you feel towards me… at least, I don't think you're really going to kill me, like before."

For a while, Leia was silent. So silent that Haato feared for the worst. Finally, he felt Leia reply, "I don't know if I really like you. I know how you feel towards me, Haato. It's just… all those things happening back there…" Leia paused to think of the years of fighting and battling AVALANCHE. "Who had the time nor heart to stop and think if the feeling is mutual? I… I need time."

_Finally, she was facing the issue._ Haato thought joyfully. "And time I will give you." Said Haato eagerly. _Time means nothing to me. _He thought. _I've waited for her for 9 years, I can wait longer. As long as she's with me._

"Let's go." Leia said quietly and finally Haato released her. She sat up and brushed the hair off her face. "Are you injured at all?" She asked, looking at Haato.

Haato laughed. Trust the tomboyish Leia to show her softer side, a part of her that not many people know or appreciate. "I'm fine!" He replied.

"Good." Leia swiftly punched Haato's stomach, making the katana user groan and double over in pain. "And THAT is for making me worried." She said stoicly, but there was a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Rodzen Daisa groaned and turned to Cassie. "Seriously, why don't you just go home?"<p>

Days have passed since the Turks walked on their separate ways. However, Rod couldn't understand why she would want to tag along with him. It wasn't as if he was going to do something that required help, or that he needed companionship.

The shotgun user shook her head. "I am bored." She answered simply.

Reno hid his amusement and annoyance. That was what she used to say constantly when they were back in the Shinra Building. With that sentence came many explanations to their mishaps in the HQ. Why the coffee making machine was spewing potions instead, why the wooden chairs in the pantry were suddenly painted green (Cassie's favourite colour), why Tseng's favourite chapter in the novel, "Fugitives of Mideel", was rewritten with Tseng being the protagonist and published on the Turks' notice board.

Usually, Rod would give in to Cassie's demands to "do something fun". But not today.

"Go home." He said crossly to the sandy-haired girl.

Not when she simply brushed aside his confession days ago, mere minutes before the destruction of Zirconiade.

Instead of obeying him, Cassie persisted, following Rod down the dark alleys of Sector 2. Rod didn't want her to follow him, not to where his former biker gang was. Staying in Midgar when Shinra was hounding after your life was not a joke. Rod was hoping that his biker gang would be able to take him to shelter him until the storm died over.

He finally came to an old garage. "No way…" He swore softly to himself. "How long has it been?" He grabbed the old metal gate and tried to open it, but the years of rust and dryness made the gate hard to open.

"Let me help." Cassie offered. Together they slid the gate open and Rod stepped inside.

The place looked almost exactly like how it was before he left. Except that there was no more electricity servicing the garage due to its years of unpaid bills. _It couldn't be… _Rod thought to himself. "What happened…?" He muttered to himself.

"Gee, this place looks untouched for many years." Cassie observed. "Wasn't it your biker gang using this place previously?" She too, had been here on some occasions. Some of the rare citizens of Shinra treated the Turks like law enforcement. Usually, with Turks like Kido and Leia, they would ignore their pleas, but not Cassie (and even Meia). That was how Cassie got to know of the many mischief committed by Rod and his gang, before Rod himself entered Shinra. Although the gang created a lot of trouble, Cassie only found fault with Rod once she realized that the people under his hand were juveniles barely the age of fourteen. She could not have the lives of these immature children ruined just by the mischief they had done. Besides, their leader, Rod, was more than willing to take all the blame.

Rod stared at the place for a while. "Guess I'll be running around to look for them then." He murmured to himself. They left the garage and walked out of the alley in silence. Then, Rod asked. "Do you think the rest of the Turks are fine?"

Cassie grinned. "I'm sure we will all be fine! Especially Haato." She giggled. "Didn't you see the joy on his face when he found out that he was going to travel with Leia?" She stuck her hands in her jeans pocket. "It surely is a tough thing to hang onto someone that he loves. But now, at least he can be with her… until that Leia realizes her own feelings as well."

"Your sense of romance is simply annoying." Rod groaned. He was expecting a response more attuned to everyone being able to survive being hunted by Shinra, NOT romantic analysis. "And the worst thing is that you squeeze out every drop of possible romance from everyone, but you can't sense the tiniest bit of…" Rod suddenly stopped and turned back to walking again. "You have not told me why you are following me." He changed the subject.

Cassie shrugged. "I'm bored."

The redhead turned angrily to face her. "That is not a good reason, idiot!"

"Well, I don't know!" Cassie argued. "Don't call me 'idiot'!"

If Rod was not pissed off by her unusual indecisiveness, he was now. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Is it a crime to follow someone?" Cassie retorted, her voice louder than before.

Rod was not going to let her out-yell him. "It's called stalking!"

"Not when it's your friend!"

"Oh, so I'm a friend, huh?" Rod seethed with anger… and disappointment. "All this while, I've never saw you as just a friend. You…" Rod reached out his hand and Cassie cringed because she thought he was going to punch her, but Rod only reached to brush her hair aside gently. "You mean much more to me." Rod let his hand drop by his side. "But to you," he deadpanned. "Everyone is a bunch of romance-idiots who is waiting for some lovey-dovey event. Don't you realize that I'm one of those idiots you are talking about, waiting for some sort of reciprocation? That's why I say you're an id-"

His words were cut off when he felt her hand slip into his. "Stop, Rodzen." She replied softly. "We quarrel every day, but not like this. I don't like this one at all." She looked at Rod with pleading eyes. "It scares me… when we talk like this." Upon hearing her words, Rod relaxed and held her hand back gently.

"Cassie…" Rod said, almost heartbroken. "If you feel absolutely nothing for me, please go back to Mideel. Go home. Don't break my heart anymore."

"I know maybe I should go back. But…" Cassie squeezed his hand a little. "I will miss you." She admitted.

Rod fell silent, though inside his heart erupted into hundreds of emotions. "We can always visit each other." He said quietly.

"Maybe it's just that I'm so used to having you around." Cassie tried to explain. "I won't be able to enjoy myself without you. That's why I haven't gone back home. Maybe…" She dipped her head so that Rod cannot see the embarrassment on her face. "Maybe like Leia, I don't know if I like you or not."

Rod groaned inwardly. This was the kind of emotional gamble that he told himself not to get into. He had seen Haato struggling with it for years, Leia being hot (more like lukewarm) and cold towards him. He had told himself to drop Cassie the minute she was indecisive. Better to totally reject him than to give him a drop of water and then denying his thirsty desire. He opened his mouth, preparing his heart to tell Cassie to stop wondering and pretend that nothing had happened between them, when she continued.

"Back there, before I fought Zirconiade… I thought about you. There!" Cassie pointed in the general direction of the now obliterated Sector 6. "In the face of the summon that was going to destroy my entire world, the first and only person I thought of was you. Not my bestie, Leia, not my parents… you."

Rod thought. _Forget emotional gamble. This one is mine, whether she likes it or not._

He responded by pulling her close to him and without any apology, Rod bent down and kissed Cassie. It was as if he had finally gotten what he desired, and he was encouraged by the fact that Cassie did not push him away. He felt her tense with surprise, but then she relaxed, a little.

When she pulled away from his kiss, he saw that she was blushing. Not a common sight on Cassie. "That… That wasn't so bad." She managed with a small grin.

Rod grinned back. Cassie had left her indecisiveness and was her usual self again. "Enough for you to follow me always?" He asked in a half-joking tone.

"… Maybe I should head back home to Mideel."

Rod's heart sank. What had gone wrong?

Cassie's face broke into a mischievous smile. "… And tell my parents that I won't be coming back home for a long time."

* * *

><p>In Sector 7, a girl of 20 walked down the slum streets leisurely. Her long black hair, big brown eyes and small nose were something not commonly found in Midgar. She wasn't from Midgar. No, Tifa Lockhart was from Nibelheim, one of the few survivors from the burning of the Nibelheim town incident.<p>

Years ago after the Nibelheim incident, her martial arts teacher, Zangan, brought her to Midgar, he found her a willing family to take care of her and he left without a trace. For five years, Tifa wondered about the incident and thought about her childhood friend. Her childhood friend who had gone to Midgar while they were children, claiming that he will join SOLDIER, and be like Sephiroth.

_Sephiroth…_

The flames engulfing the town, his long, silver hair that lethal grace, the green cat-like eyes that burned with hatred…

Tifa shook the vision her head. Looking ahead, she found herself back in Sector 7, in front of a bar. Her bar. 7th Heaven. Shortly after she turned 18, she bade her foster family goodbye and left. She didn't want to trouble them any further, even though they did not seem to mind. She worked odd jobs and now… She had her own enterprise.

The vision of how the General leveled the town was still etched in her mind, but she told herself that she must move on and not be concerned about past events. She had other things to worry about.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a man of an alarming size walked out of her bar. He had a threatening-looking gun attached to his arm. "Yo, Tifa!" He shouted. "It's 'bout time we begin our meeting!"

Tifa nodded. She had met Barret Wallace and his foster daughter, Marlene, a few years back. They had shared stories, she shared her Nibelheim incident while he shared about what Shinra did to Corel and how he lost his friend. Since the destruction of Corel, Barret had spent years in Cosmo Canyon, learning about the Planet. That was why when he first came to Midgar, he wanted to begin an anti-Shinra organization… AVALANCHE. Tifa quite liked the sound of it, Barret came up with the name himself. Since then, they've recruited other people, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. They were young and bright-eyed, eager to stop Shinra as well.

"Coming." Tifa replied. She walked up the steps and was about to walk into the bar when Barret closed the door in front of her. She looked at Barret questioningly.

"Hey, I want to ask you about…" He checked through the door window behind him to ensure no one was listening. "About that friend you brought in." He frowned. "Your friend seemed a little… off."

"Cloud is not off!" Tifa replied hotly. "I mean, yeah he's a little funny… but he wasn't like this before!" She blushed a little as she thought of the very childhood friend she was thinking of earlier. "He was friendly and thoughtful, always ready with a smile."

"Smile? Ha!" Barret scoffed. "Your friend is an emo chicken-head who only talks when he wants to. And when he talks, he only brags or show that he's only interested in the money!"

"I know! But Cloud is not like that, I'm serious!" Tifa insisted. "That's why I brought him back, to see what is wrong with him. He has been sprouting details that are not even true. He said he was in SOLDIER-"

"Exactly why I told you then that I do not want a Shinra scum in here!" Barret argued back.

"He said he was in SOLDIER, but he wasn't." Tifa said seriously. "I met a SOLDIER First Class, around the time that my town was burned down. He said that he and Sephiroth were the only SOLDIER First Class around. But Cloud said that he had been First Class for a long time." Tifa shook her head. "It confuses me. I don't know what is wrong with him. Please, Barret, let me look out for him for a while."

Barret considered her words briefly and replied. "Just for ya, a'right? You understand how risky this business is." Tifa nodded, but Barret explained it anyway. "We can't just have anybody in this. Once you allow the wrong people aboard the train, it will lead you nowhere."

"Cloud is not a hijacker." Tifa frowned, using the same metaphors that Barret oft like to use.

"We'll see 'bout that. Let's go in," said Barret, opening the door for her. "We need to go through the Mako Reactor 1 plan again."

* * *

><p>Jasper tugged at his pants. Although they were finely made silk pants from Wutai, he felt uncomfortable. Jasper found himself wishing for the good old Turks pants. He stared at himself in the mirror. Years ago, when he looked at himself before leaving for Midgar, he saw a young, naïve boy who merely wanted to follow Marshall and Patricia's footsteps to be a Turk. His first disappointment came when he discovered that they were long dead.<p>

_Still, I'm glad that I stayed till the end. _He smiled._ At least I didn't have to be killed to leave Shinra._

On top of that, he was joyful to hear from Reno that Shinra will not be pursuing them outside Midgar, though he was worried that Rod might be caught for being in Midgar. The Turks will not be pursued until the final verdict of their fate is decided in the hearing on the 9th of December.

He was grateful for his family being so hospitable when he brought home Kido and KK. The two of them were now outside, enjoying the sights and sounds of his simple town. As for himself, he needed to speak with his father. As part of the bargain, Jasper had promised his father years ago that if he were to allow Jasper to be a Turk, he would return and take over his family business.

Jasper sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. Still young, same blond hair, blue-eyed person. Just looking more experienced and mature, having gone through many trials and near-death incidents. These memories will not be forgotten so easily. Never.

_It's time to pay my side of the bargain._ He thought sadly.

* * *

><p>Icicle Inn was exactly how she remembered. The same snowy-capped mountains, the empty land that was once Modeoheim, the small circle of houses that lived a simple and peaceful life away from the stress and dust in Midgar… everything looked the same.<p>

Meia trekked a long way from Midgar. Unlike years ago, she was not rushing for time. She enjoyed her long journey to Icicle Inn. Together with Jasper, Kido and KK, they traversed leisurely from Midgar to Bone Village, taking a few days rather than a few hours, passing by towns like Costa del Sol and Corel before heading towards Bone Village.

She waved goodbye to the trio before making her solitary walk towards the town that captured her heart many years ago. It was a joy, and a relief, to finally obtain the freedom that everyone in Shinra coveted. People died to get it, yet here she was, walking away from everything as if she had the power to stop Shinra from killing her.

There were many things that she thought about. It occupied her throughout the journey and luckily she did not run into many encounters with monsters_. _At last, the road towards Icicle Inn was before her and Meia found herself picking up her pace, undeterred by the weight of her luggage.

In the short distance ahead, Meia smiled when she saw the town. It was still snowing. It'll probably snow for the rest of the year, but Meia didn't care. She had all the time in the world to enjoy the white town and it would be a long time before she complained about the snow.

She spotted a man and a woman together. They were about Meia's age. The man's tan when Meia first met him in Costa del Sol had long faded and lightened, returning to the Icicle natives' signature fair skin. His bright, merry eyes almost twinkled against the dull white snow around him. He leaned closer to the woman, clearly his lover, and he must have whispered something cheeky, because the woman flushed and gave him a smack on the back.

The man and the woman fell into laughter, then suddenly the woman felt a pair of eyes watching them. She looked in front of them and saw Meia. Instantly recognizing her, the woman's jaw dropped. Meia could hear her screaming the man's name and together, the two Icicle natives ran towards Meia, screaming her name and tackling her onto the soft snow.

"Hello, Randy, Heidi." Meia tried to greet calmly.

"Meia!" Heidi shrieked. "You're back!"

"Yes, I'm back." Meia said breathlessly, her heart warming up despite the coldness of the town. "I'm back."

* * *

><p>Another favourite chapter of mine! I love every scene in this chapter, hahaha!<p>

Okay, the new story is up. It's called 'Days of Exile'! Please go and find it, alert it, review it, fave it!

And now, folks. This is the end of the story. See you in the sequel, "Days of Exile"!


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